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History

80 Years of achievement

Founded in 1927 as a wholesaler of hardwood lumber, Georgia-Pacific has grown through expansion and acquisitions to become one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of tissue, pulp, paper, packaging, building products and related chemicals.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific employs more than 40,000 people at approximately 300 locations worldwide. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange from 1949 through 2005, when it was acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc., a privately owned company based in Wichita, Kansas.

  • Our Founder

    Owen Cheatham, a salesman of extraordinary ability, founded Georgia-Pacific in 1927.

  • Early Transportation

    In Georgia-Pacific's early days, lumber was transported to rail stations by horse and wagon.

  • 1960s Advertisement

    This model wears a dress designed by Oleg Cassini and a roll of paper manufactured at GP's pulp and paper mill in Crossett, Ark.

  • Georgia Hardwood Lumber Company headquarters.

    1927

    Founded in Augusta, Ga., by Owen R. Cheatham as the Georgia Hardwood Lumber Co., a wholesaler of hardwood lumber.

  • 1938

    Operated five sawmills in the South.

  • 1941-1945

    Was the largest supplier of lumber to the U.S. armed forces. Awarded the Army-Navy "E" for outstanding service in the war effort.

  • 1947

    Acquired first West Coast facility, a plywood plant at Bellingham, Wash. Established a wholesale distribution warehouse and distributing yard. Number of employees reached 750. The company's sales totaled $24 million.

  • 1948

    Changed name to Georgia-Pacific Plywood & Lumber Co. Added plywood mills at Olympia, Wash., and Springfield, Ore.

  • On Jan. 27, 1949, GP stock was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

    1949

    Listed on New York Stock Exchange. Acquired hardwood plywood plant at Savannah, Ga. Sales reached $37 million.

  • 1951

    Changed name to Georgia-Pacific Plywood Co. Acquired C.D. Johnson Lumber Corp., Toledo, Ore.

  • 1953

    Moved headquarters from Augusta, Ga., to Olympia, Wash.

  • 1954

    Moved headquarters to Portland, Ore.

  • 1956

    Acquired Coos Bay Lumber Co., Coos Bay, Ore., and Hammond Lumber Co. in northern California. Changed name to Georgia-Pacific Corp. Added 10 distribution centers for a total of 40. Sales reached $121 million.

  • 1957

    Entered pulp and paper business at Toledo, Ore., with construction of a kraft pulp and linerboard mill.

  • 1958

    Created The Georgia-Pacific Foundation to serve as the company's community investment arm.

  • 1959

    Added 15 distribution centers for a total of 60. Acquired Booth-Kelly Lumber Co., Springfield, Ore. Opened first resin adhesive plant at Coos Bay, Ore.

  • Coronet®, GP's first tissue product, was promoted by Rosemary Clooney throughout the 1960s.

    1960

    Acquired W. M. Ritter Lumber Co. in the Southeast, including timberlands, oil, coal and other minerals. Timberland ownership totaled 1 million acres.

  • 1961

    Added paper converting facilities in Washington, California, Iowa, Illinois and Arkansas. Built first corrugated container plant at Olympia, Wash. Employed over 11,197 people.

  • Advertisements for the Crossett Paper Mills showed the breadth of the company's products.

    1962

    Acquired Crossett Lumber Co., Crossett, Ark., including 565,000 acres of timberlands. Added corrugated container plant at Modesto, Calif., and grocery bag and sack plant at Toledo, Ore.

  • 1963

    Acquired Puget Sound Pulp and Timber Co., Bellingham, Wash., including Hopper Paper Division. Acquired Vanity Fair Paper Mills, Plattsburgh, N.Y.; St. Croix Paper Co., Woodland, Maine; and Fordyce Lumber Co., Fordyce, Ark. With the Bellingham and Plattsburgh mills, the company entered the tissue business. Began operating the nation's first Southern pine plywood plant at Fordyce.

  • 1965

    Acquired Bestwall Gypsum Co., Paoli, Pa. Expanded paper and chemical facilities. Distribution centers totaled 84.

  • 1969

    Acquired kraft pulp mill at Port Hudson, La. Completed new gypsum plant at Buchanan, N.Y. Added 11 sawmills. Donated California redwood groves, valued at more than $6 million, to the public.

  • The first truckload of Southern pine plywood was produced at the Taylorsville, Miss., plant.

    1966

    Added 13 manufacturing plants, expanded five facilities. Acquired from National Polychemicals, Inc., the Lufkin, Texas, and Conway, N.C. chemical facilities. Added chip export facility at Coos Bay, Ore.

  • 1967

    Acquired Kalamazoo Paper Co., Kalamazoo, Mich.

  • 1968

    Began construction of large chemical refining complex in Louisiana. Added timberlands and plywood plants. Sales exceeded $1 billion for the first time.

  • GP celebrated the grand opening of its new headquarters in Portland, Ore.

    1970

    Completed first corporate headquarters building in Portland, Ore. Distribution centers totaled 105.

  • 1972

    Spun off $305 million in assets as Louisiana-Pacific, Corp., pursuant to a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

  • 1973

    Acquired redwood timberlands and sawmills at Fort Bragg, Calif. Announced $1 billion, five-year capital investment program. Sales reached $2.2 billion.

  • Sparkle® is one of the tissue products manufactured at the Palatka, Fla. mill.

    1975

    Acquired Exchange Oil & Gas Corp., New Orleans, La. Completed construction of plywood plants in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Operated more than 140 distribution centers and more than 200 plants and mills. Number of employees reached 33,500.

  • 1976

    Announced entry into roofing manufacturing with plans for a plant at Franklin, Ohio. Pulp and paper mill expansions at Plattsburgh, N.Y., Crossett, Ark., and Port Hudson, La. Added new corrugated container facility at Plano, Texas.

  • 1980

    Began production of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) at Woodland, Maine. Developed OSB production at Dudley, N.C. Expanded resin manufacturing capacity at Conway, N.C.

  • 1981

    Acquired eight container plants, six resin facilities and the Holly Hill Lumber Co., Holly Hill, S.C. Completed construction of a computerized pine sawmill at Ellabell, Ga., and a major expansion of the tissue converting facility at Palatka, Fla. Opened Crossett, Ark., chemical plant, which was the first Georgia-Pacific facility to produce fractionated tall oil products and other specialty chemicals.

  • Construction on Georgia-Pacific's new Atlanta headquarters building.

    1982

    Moved headquarters from Portland, Ore., to Atlanta, Ga. Acquired Elk Grove, Calif., thermosetting resin plant and expanded Crossett, Ark.,chemical operations.

  • 1984

    Announced program to expand pulp and paper operations, including conversion and upgrade at Crossett, Ark., and Palatka, Fla., installation of a large white paper machine at Port Hudson, La., and acquisition of a major linerboard mill at Monticello, Miss., as well as related timberlands and 15 container plants. Sold commodity chemicals business.

  • 1985

    Acquired two sawmills in Virginia. Began production at new OSB plants at Grenada, Miss., and Skippers, Va. Sold Exchange Oil & Gas Corp.

  • In 1986, GP moved into the premium bath tissue market with the introduction of Angel Soft®.

    1986

    Purchased five hardboard plants, three moulding plants and a kiln-dried hardwood lumber facility. Entered the premium bath tissue market with the introduction of Angel Soft. Constructed and opened new thermosetting resin facility in Michigan.

  • 1987

    Purchased U.S. Plywood, including distribution and shipping facilities, five sawmills, a plywood plant and 200,000 acres of timberlands. Acquired converting and distribution assets of Erving Distributor Products Co., including two tissue plants. Purchased two hardwood sawmills and two pine sawmills. Announced major capacity increases in paper and paperboard product lines. Began operating 12 millwork and specialty distribution centers.

  • GP gained the Leaf River Pulp mill, and other mills, with the Great Northern Nekoosa Corporation acquisition.

    1988

    Acquired Brunswick Pulp & Paper Co. at Brunswick, Ga., including a pulp and paperboard mill, three sawmills and more than 500,000 acres of timberlands. Also purchased assets of American Forest Products Co. at Martell, Calif., with two sawmills, a particleboard plant and 125,000 acres of timberlands. Completed construction on second large white paper machine at Port Hudson, La. Sales reached $9.5 billion. Created the Georgia-Pacific Foundation Scholarship program for employees' children.

  • 1989

    Announced proposed merger with Great Northern Nekoosa Corp. and began cash tender offer.

  • 1990

    Completed the merger of Great Northern Nekoosa Corp., adding 55 paper mills and paperboard converting plants, 83 paper distribution centers, one plywood plant and two sawmills. Sales reached $12.7 billion.

  • 1991

    Sold nonstrategic assets, including two containerboard mills, 19 corrugated packaging plants and related timberlands. Sold two groundwood paper mills and related timberlands in Maine.

  • 1992

    Continued leadership role in worker safety and environmental programs. First forest products company to reach Star Level from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for exemplary safety program at the Crossett, Ark., pulp and paper facility.

  • 1993

    Entered into first-of-its-kind agreement with Department of the Interior to protect the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker on company lands. Purchased an engineered lumber mill at Roxboro, N.C., and majority ownership of an industrial particleboard facility in Ontario, Canada. Sold Butler Paper distribution operations. Chairman Pete Correll appointed to President's Council on Sustainable Development, to identify ways for the country to grow economically while sustaining the environment for future generations.

  • 1994

    Began a multiyear capital investment program focused on growing engineered wood products. Sold envelope manufacturing and roofing businesses. Began major restructuring of building products distribution business. Entered into a unique land agreement with The Nature Conservancy to protect more than 21,000 acres along the Lower Roanoke River in North Carolina. Published GP's first environmental and safety report to publicly track the company's performance.

  • 1995

    Began production of OSB at Mt. Hope, W. Va., plant. Purchased two U.S. resin facilities from Dyno Industrier, A.S. The company's sales totaled $14.3 billion.

  • 1996

    Acquired Domtar Inc.'s gypsum wallboard business. Completed construction of OSB plant at Brookneal, Va. Completed construction of recycling facility and recycled linerboard machine at Big Island, Va. Completed modernization project at Toledo, Ore. Created ServiceForce, Georgia-Pacific's employee volunteer program.

  • 1997

    Georgia-Pacific completed its seventh decade. Closed sale of Martell, Calif., timberlands, sawmill and particleboard plant. Created The Timber Company, a separate operating group with its own common stock that tracked the performance and value of the company's timber business. Published the first Community Investment Report.

  • GP acquired CeCorr, an independent producer of corrugated sheets, in 1998.

    1998

    Acquired CeCorr, the leading independent producer of corrugated sheets in the U.S. The company formed a relationship with Southeast Wood Treating, Inc. The Timber Company and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service renewed their landmark agreement to protect endangered red-cockaded woodpecker habitats.

  • GP bought Unisource Worldwide,Inc. in 1999.

    1999

    Georgia-Pacific Group split stock 2 for 1. Acquired Unisource Worldwide, the leading independent marketer and distributor of printing and imaging paper and supply systems in North America. Formed joint venture with Wisconsin Tissue to combine away-from-home tissue business. The Timber Company completed strategic sale of timberlands in California, Maine and New Brunswick, Canada. Began sponsoring middle school science and math teachers to attend nationally recognized Keystone Science School Key Issues Institute.

  • Brawny® is one of the strong consumer brands GP gained in the Fort James acquisition.

    2000

    Acquired Fort James Corp. and its consumer brands Brawny®, Quilted Northern® and Dixie, becoming the world's leading manufacturer of tissue products. GP sales in 2000 totaled $22 billion. Marked 10-year partnership the St. Croix International Waterway Commission with release of 750 adult Atlantic salmon into Maine's St. Croix river. Recognized by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce for the best business-school partnership; GP employees tutored and mentored 300 children at inner-city M. Agnes Jones Elementary School.

  • 2001

    Began a major marketing effort to present consumer-oriented image to the public. Merged The Timber Company, a separate operating group of Georgia-Pacific, with Plum Creek Timber Company. Sold 368,000 tons of commercial tissue capacity to Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget and a portion of pulp and paper assets to Domtar, Inc. Spearheaded a fundraising effort among Atlanta CEOs to help restore historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, once led by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

  • 2002

    Georgia-Pacific celebrated 75th year in business. Sold 60 percent of Unisource Worldwide subsidiary to Bain Capital Group. Observed 20th year participating in Salvation Army Angel Tree Program.

  • 2003

    Introduced enMotion™ automated touchless paper towel dispensers. Captured several prestigious marketing awards for the Brawny and Angel Soft brands. Sold most short-line railroads to Genessee & Wyoming, Inc. Sponsored the 9th Annual Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, which raised more than $500,000 to help create a camp for kids with incurable illnesses. Total 2003 sales of more than $20 billion.

  • 2004

    Sold building products distribution business and non-integrated pulp operations. Reduced debt by nearly $2 billion. Sold a 137-acre waterfront mill property in Bellingham, Wash., to the city for redevelopment into a bayside neighborhood. Donated truckloads of bath tissue, paper towels, and disposable cups, plates and cutlery to Floridians battered by four successive hurricanes. Helped repair dozens of homes for low-income elderly and disabled through a partnership with Rebuilding Together and the PGA Grand Champions Tour.

  • 2005

    Announced a 10-year marketing alliance with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Received the prestigious Catalyst Award for recruitment, development and advancement of women. Donated 38 acres of scenic northern California coastal property - formerly part of a GP sawmill - to the city of Fort Bragg. In a $21 billion transaction, Georgia-Pacific was acquired by Koch Industries and became a privately held, wholly owned subsidiary, continuing to operate from its Atlanta headquarters.

  • 2006

    Georgia-Pacific acquired Insulair Inc., a privately held manufacturer of premium insulated paper cups and lids. Angel Soft® toilet paper was launched in Mexico. The building products division introduced the innovative Plytanium® DryPly™ plywood. GP announced the installation of two through-air-dried (TAD) machines, which increase the company's production of premium tissue products, including Brawny® and Quilted Northern®. Six facilities in the U.S. and Europe reached one million hours with zero lost-time incidents. For the third year in a row, G.I. Jobs magazine named Georgia-Pacific as one of the top "military-friendly" employers. Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade program was launched to financially support volunteer and small town fire units in GP communities across the U.S.

  • The Color-Box¨ business wins an award for its package designed for General Electric's NIGHTHAWKª Blue-White Light Automotive Headlamp.

    2007

    The Excellence Ireland Quality Association (EIQA) awarded Georgia-Pacific's Ireland facility top marks in product quality and hygiene, and a select "Q-Marks" award for continuously making better products and delivering improved services to customers. Harmon Associates, expanded into plastic and metal waste recovery and recycling, and also grew in South America with the acquisition of certain assets of Future Fibers Inc. The Color-Box® business wins a prestigious gold award, at the National Paperboard Packaging Competition for its package designed for General Electric's NIGHTHAWK™ Blue-White Light Automotive Headlamp. Georgia-Pacific corrugated manufacturing operations were certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Program. The enMotion® Impulse™ 8 towel dispenser won the Product Innovation Award at the International Sanitary Supply Association's (ISSA) tradeshow, marking the third consecutive year the commercial business was recognized for its innovation.

  • The away-from-home business introduced the hugely successful enMotion® hands-free towel dispenser and Easy Nap napkins and dispensers for commercial customers.

    2008

    DensArmor Plus® Abuse Guard® paperless interior drywall was selected as one of the "Top Green" products of 2007 and also received GREENGUARD® certification for its mold-resistant qualities. Employees at the Leaf River and Monticello, Miss., facilities were recognized for sites certified under the Wildlife at Work program, sponsored by the Wildlife Habitat Council. The company launches its Green by Design™ concept, to share the benefits and environmental impact of GP's away-from-home solutions directly to large commercial product distributors and end-user customers.The Savannah, Ga., gypsum plant completed a $100 million expansion project. Professional Builder magazine selected Nautilus™ Wall Sheathing panels and XJ 85™ Wood I Beam™ joists among "the most significant new products" for the year. The Consumer Products group joined the SmartWaySM Transport Program. GP launches Quilted NorthernUltra Plush®, the first three-ply bath tissue in North America. The SmartStock® Ultra Cutlery Dispenser & Carousel awarded the Product Innovation Award at the International Sanitary Supply Association's (ISSA) INTERCLEAN tradeshow. enMotion® brand added cool to its resume with the introduction of its new spokeperson, Mo.

  • Consumer Reports magazine rated Quilted Northern Ultra Plush® bath tissue the best overall product among major brands

    2009

    Georgia-Pacific's consumer products retail business recognized by Walmart, as Supplier of the Year for the Consumables Division. The company launched EasyNap™ Jr., the smallest addition to the EasyNap napkin dispenser line. Consumer Reports magazine rated Quilted Northern Ultra Plush® bath tissue the best overall product among major brands. The enMotion>® line of touchless towel dispensers introduced enMotion® with Lotion towels that release lotion when applied to wet hands. Harmon Associates changed its named to GP Harmon Recycling. Southwest Airlines switched from Styrofoam to GP Professional's Insulair® cups, stocking its planes with more than 1.7 million Insulair cups each month. Georgia-Pacific earned the Sustainable Forestry Initiative's® 2009 President's Award. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) named Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products and Schneider National as 2009 winners of the SmartWaySM Environmental Excellence Award. Since 2006, total grants issued by the Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade reached the half-million dollar mark.

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