Georgia-Pacific

Georgia-Pacific LLC is a leading American manufacturer of tissue, pulp, paper, packaging, building products, and related chemicals. Founded in 1927 by Owen Robertson Cheatham in Augusta, Georgia, the company began as Georgia Hardwood Lumber Co., focusing on wholesale hardwood lumber. Despite early challenges during the Great Depression, Georgia-Pacific expanded its operations, acquiring sawmills and plywood plants, and by 1948, it was renamed Georgia-Pacific Plywood & Lumber Company. In 1956, the company became Georgia-Pacific Corporation and entered the pulp and paper industry in 1957 with a kraft pulp and linerboard mill in Toledo, Oregon. Over the decades, Georgia-Pacific grew through strategic acquisitions, including Union Lumber in 1973, US Plywood in 1987, and Fort James Corporation in 2000, which consolidated several major brands. In 2005, Georgia-Pacific was acquired by Koch Industries for $21 billion, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary. Today, the company operates more than 600 facilities across North America, Canada, and eleven other countries, employing over 61,000 people.