2009-06-19 22:56:03 -

Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE: HIW), the largest owner and operator of suburban office properties in the Southeast, today announced that Gene H. Anderson, senior vice president and member of the Board of Directors, will retire from the Company on June 30, 2009. Mr. Anderson, 63, will continue to serve on our Board of Directors. Mr. Anderson joined Highwoods in February

1997, after the Company’s combination with Atlanta-based Anderson Properties.

Commenting on Mr. Anderson’s tenure with Highwoods, Ed Fritsch, president and chief executive officer of Highwoods stated, "Gene has been a terrific business partner, leader and inspiration to our entire team. Since I became Chief Executive Officer in July 2004, Gene has also been a valuable resource for me. While all of my Highwoods colleagues join me in thanking Gene for his full-time service to Highwoods, we also know that he will continue to inspire and advise our team in his role as a non-executive director and through his ongoing service on our Investment Committee.”

“Among Gene’s many accomplishments, he was directly responsible for repositioning Century Center, establishing meaningful positions for us in core submarkets such as Atlanta’s Central Perimeter, and fueling our now robust relationship with the Federal Government – which has become, by far, our largest customer. Gene has also recruited and mentored a number of Highwoods personnel, including Jim Bacchetta who has been with our Company since 2005 and runs our Atlanta division,” added Fritsch.

Gene Anderson stated, “Highwoods has so many people that I have the honor and pleasure to work with and together we’ve built Highwoods into one of the premier office companies in the country. While I’m officially retiring as a full-time employee, I remain a devoted shareholder and an energized member of the Board. I will also continue to be totally accessible to Ed and his team and will strongly support Highwoods as I have throughout the past 12 years.”


About the Company

Highwoods Properties, Inc., a member of the S&P MidCap 400 Index, is a fully integrated, self-administered real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that provides leasing, management, development, construction and other customer-related services for its properties and for third parties. At March 31, 2009, the Company owned or had an interest in 382 in-service office, industrial and retail properties encompassing approximately 35.4 million square feet. Highwoods also owned 580 acres of development land. Highwoods is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and its properties and development land are located in Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Highwoods Properties, Inc.Tabitha Zane, Vice President,

Investor Relations919-431-1529