Former First Industrial CEO Establishes Brennan Investment Group

Edited: Jennifer Brenner
Source: Brennan Investment Group

Michael W. Brennan, former president and chief executive officer of First Industrial Realty Trust, has formed Brennan Investment Group, LLC, a privately-held industrial real estate investment firm.

Brennan Investment Group will opportunistically acquire, develop and operate industrial properties in select major metropolitan markets throughout the United States. The firm's managing principals will co-invest with private and institutional capital, pursuing single asset and portfolio acquisitions, including acquisitions of debt.

"We established Brennan Investment Group at one of the most opportune periods the industrial real estate market has ever seen," said Brennan, Chairman and Managing Principal of Brennan Investment Group. "With no legacy burdens, our firm is well positioned to capitalize on current and future market conditions in order to achieve outstanding risk-adjusted returns. With years of successful acquisition and development experience, our team has deep connections in key markets that will allow Brennan Investment Group to act nimbly and seize strategic investment opportunities as they arise."

"The industrial real estate sector is a large, stable and diversified investment class offering a compelling opportunity for both current income and appreciation," Brennan continued. "Our firm will use a disciplined investment approach to strategically exploit investment opportunities."

Prior to forming Brennan Investment Group, Brennan co-founded First Industrial Realty Trust and served as the president, chief executive officer and a member of the Board of Directors. Under his direction, the company assisted many of the nation's largest industrial users in completing complex supply chain reconfigurations and attracted investment partners including The Carlyle Group, the Kuwait Finance House, Union Bank of Switzerland, ING, and the California State Teachers' Retirement System. Joining Brennan as principals at the firm are experienced industrial real estate professionals who have collectively invested in more than 4,000 properties in more than 60 cities throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

"The firm's management team comprises some of the most accomplished industrial real estate executives in the United States," said Brennan. "Many of us have worked shoulder-to-shoulder and share a mutual hunger and vision for creating value for investors. I'm thrilled such strong talent has joined me to build the new gold standard in industrial real estate firms."

The principals of Brennan Investment Group include:

• Peter F. Murphy as co-founder, vice-chairman and managing principal responsible for transactions in the Eastern United States. Murphy joins the company from First Highland Management and Development Corporation where he remains a Principal and has developed over 10 million square feet of industrial assets. Over the course of his career, Murphy has orchestrated more than $800 million in commercial real estate transactions totaling over 25 million square feet.
  
• Kareem M. Fikri as Co-founder and Managing Principal responsible for transactions in the Midwestern United States, with a focus on Chicago. Fikri was Founder and President of Fik Investment Corporation, a company with approximately 8 million square feet of office and industrial assets under management in 18 U.S. cities. Fikri is credited with managing the first Sharia compliant industrial fund in the United States, a joint venture between First Industrial and the Kuwait Finance House.
  
• Robert J. Krueger as Co-Founder and Managing Principal responsible for transactions in Central Florida. Krueger joins the company from First Industrial where he acquired and developed approximately 5 million square feet of industrial and flex space in the Florida market. Krueger is among the most accomplished industrial professionals in the Florida market, with 34 years of experience in construction, development, and acquisitions.
  
• Britten Shuford as Co-Founder and Managing Principal responsible for investments in the Western United States, with a focus on Southern California. Mr. Shuford is Co-Managing Partner and Principal of Pacifica Capital Group, a Los Angeles based firm that has acquired or developed approximately 15 million square feet of commercial property. Mr. Shuford was an important advisor to First Industrial beginning in 1999, helping to significantly expand their Los Angeles investment presence. Shuford has orchestrated more than $1 billion in commercial real estate transactions totaling over 8 million square feet.
  
• Kevin Smith as Co-Founder and Managing Principal responsible transactions in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Nashville, Memphis and Indianapolis. Smith joins the company from First Highland Management and Development Corporation where he remains a Principal and orchestrated more than $500 million in industrial real estate transactions totaling more than 20 million square feet, including 15 million square feet of industrial redevelopments.

Brennan Investment Group's primary target markets span the United States, including Central Florida, Chicago, Northern New Jersey, Southern California, Texas, and Washington D.C. Additionally, the firm will invest on an opportunistic basis in markets it classifies as secondary, including Atlanta, Cincinnati, Columbus, Harrisburg, Indianapolis, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco Bay, and St. Louis. Investments will include bulk and regional warehouses, as well as light industrial. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, with additional offices in Los Angeles, Boston and Cincinnati.