Our History

W. P. Carey Founder Wm. Polk Carey was a born entrepreneur. As a child he sold soda to his neighbors and writing ink that he made in his basement. When he arrived at Princeton University to begin his freshman year, he soon discovered he owned something many of his schoolmates did not – a small dorm room refrigerator. Seeing an opportunity, he purchased as many refrigerators as he could afford and leased them to his schoolmates for a small fee. By the end of his sophomore year, he had made over $10,000. It was this simple idea that laid the groundwork for what is now known as W. P. Carey Inc.

Investing for the Long Run®

  • History
    1973
    Wm. Polk Carey founds W. P. Carey (formerly W. P. Carey & Co.), pioneering the concept of pooled net leased commercial real estate assets for individual investors
  • History
    1979
    W. P. Carey launches its series of investment programs (CPA®) to continue providing retail investors with income and wealth preservation through the acquisition of commercial properties and real estate-related assets. (In 2017, W. P. Carey announced plans to exit all non-traded retail fundraising activity as part of its evolution to a pure-play net lease REIT)
  • History
    1998
    W. P. Carey (formerly Carey Diversified LLC) begins trading on the NYSE
  • History
    1999
    W. P. Carey expands to Europe with the launch of its London office
  • History
    2008
    W. P. Carey grows its European footprint, opening its Amsterdam office
  • History
    2012
    W. P. Carey converts to a REIT
  • History
    2014
    W. P. Carey completes its inaugural public equity and U.S. bond offerings and receives investment grade ratings from Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s
  • History
    2015
    W. P. Carey expands its access to public markets with its inaugural eurobond offering
  • History
    2018
    W. P. Carey celebrates 45 years of Investing for the Long Run®, 20 years as a publicly traded company on the NYSE and 20 years of investing in Europe
  • History
    2020
    W. P. Carey successfully navigates a year unlike any other amid the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining rent collections among the best in the net lease sector as well as REITs generally
  • History
    2021
    W. P. Carey executes its inaugural green bond offering
  • History
    2022
    W. P. Carey completes its merger with its final CPA® investment program. In addition, the company receives ratings upgrade from Moody’s, affirming it sustained positive trajectory since its initial investment grade rating from Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s in 2014
  • 50th Anniversary - History
    2023
    W. P. Carey celebrates its 50th anniversary of Investing for the Long Run®, 25 years as a publicly traded company (NYSE) and 25 years of investing in Europe, in addition to announcing its strategic plan to exit office