ATLANTA, - The Georgia Historical Society  recognized Georgia-Pacific with a historical marker as the latest honoree of the Georgia Business History Initiative.

 

Each year, the GHS initiative recognizes iconic companies that have had an impact on the economic, cultural and social development of Georgia and the United States.

 

The Georgia Historical Society recognized Georgia-Pacific with a historical marker highlighting the company’s 90-year history. The marker sits outside the Georgia-Pacific Center headquarters building in downtown Atlanta. L to R:  A.D. “Pete” Correll, past chairman and CEO of Georgia-Pacific; Jim Hannan, immediate past president and CEO of Georgia-Pacific; Christian Fischer, president and CEO of Georgia-Pacific

The Georgia Historical Society recognized Georgia-Pacific with a historical marker highlighting the company’s 90-year history. The marker sits outside the Georgia-Pacific Center headquarters building in downtown Atlanta. L to R: A.D. “Pete” Correll, past chairman and CEO of Georgia-Pacific; Jim Hannan, immediate past president and CEO of Georgia-Pacific; Christian Fischer, president and CEO of Georgia-Pacific

The historical marker was unveiled today at a ceremony outside the Georgia-Pacific Center, the company's downtown Atlanta headquarters location for the last 35 years, and four days after the company turned 90.

 

"We're honored and humbled to be recognized by the Georgia Historical Society with this marker – it's a significant gesture to share in the history of this great state," said Christian Fischer, president and CEO of Georgia-Pacific. "Today we celebrate the culmination of hard work and resilience of thousands of employees over nearly a century."

 

Community members and employees attended the dedication, and in addition to Fischer, immediate Past President and CEO Jim Hannan, and Past Chairman and CEO A.D. "Pete" Correll were also present.

 

The historical marker tells the story of a company's contribution to the development of the state and nation, and is erected at a site of historical significance to the company.

 

"The story of Georgia's iconic companies has enriched the lives of every single resident and visitor to our state," said Dr. W. Todd Groce, president and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society. "What started as a lumber company in Augusta 90 years ago has grown to become one of the world's leading manufacturers of paper and other wood-based products. We are pleased to add Georgia-Pacific to the Georgia Business History Initiative so that future generations will continue to be inspired by their legacy."

 

The marker reads:

 

Georgia-Pacific

 

Owen R. Cheatham founded the Georgia Hardwood Lumber Company in Augusta, GA, in 1927.  By 1938, the company operated five lumberyards in the South. To broaden its product line, the company purchased its first Pacific Coast facility—a plywood plant—in 1947. In 1948, the company was renamed Georgia-Pacific Plywood and Lumber Company and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1949. Its first operation outside North America began in the Philippines in 1963. Georgia-Pacific Center, the company's corporate headquarters, was built in 1982 on the site of Loew's Grand Theatre, where Gone with the Wind premiered in 1939. At its 90th anniversary in 2017, Georgia-Pacific was one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer products, building products, packaging, and pulp with tens of thousands of employees across the globe, including 7,500 in Georgia.

 

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia-Pacific

 

Click here for a visual timeline of Georgia-Pacific's 90-year history.

 

Based in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific and its subsidiaries are among the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of bath tissue, paper towels and napkins, tableware, paper-based packaging, office papers, cellulose, specialty fibers, nonwoven fabrics, building products and related chemicals. Our familiar consumer brands include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, Dixie®, enMotion®, Sparkle®, Mardi Gras®, Vanity Fair®, and STAINMASTER™ household cleaning products. Georgia-Pacific has long been a leading supplier of building products to lumber and building materials dealers and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers. Its GP Harmon Recycling subsidiary is among the world's largest recyclers of paper, metal and plastics. The company operates approximately 200 facilities and employs approximately 35,000 people directly, and creates nearly 92,000 jobs indirectly. For more information, visit: GP.com.

 

Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining and teaching Georgia history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation. GHS administers Georgia's historical marker program. Over the past 20 years, GHS has erected over 250 new historical markers across the state on a wide variety of subjects. GHS also maintains the more than 2,100 markers installed by the State of Georgia prior to 1998. Online mapping tools allow users to design driving routes based on historical markers and a mobile app helps visitors locate and learn about markers nearby. Visit georgiahistory.com for more ways to use Georgia's historical markers and experience history where it happened.