HOUSTON-DCT Industrial Trust Inc. has established a local office and has tapped Justin Bennett to head up its Houston and San Antonio operations, along with two additional property management professionals.

The Denver-based REIT owns 40 buildings in Houston totaling 2.9 million square feet and 15 buildings in San Antonio totaling 1.3 million square feet. It has had a presence in these markets for several years, but has not had a team on the ground, according to Bennett, who joins DCT Industrial Trust as vice president and regional market representative.

Bennett has eight years of real estate experience including his most recent role as senior development manager in Panattoni Development Co.’s local office where he was responsible for a 2.7 million-square-foot portfolio of Class A properties across two major logistics markets. He was also involved in the acquisition, leasing and disposition of real property and industrial assets.