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Members of the Bainbridge Rotary Club met at the Kirbo Center Tuesday afternoon for their weekly meeting. The guest speaker for the day was Beth Dulak-Smith, the training and development leader with Georgia-Pacific’s building products and corrugated divisions.

She recounted how she got involved in the company in Wisconsin, before moving to Atlanta five years ago. She went on to discuss the varied products offered by G-P, including feminine hygiene products, disposable diapers, sinks and bathroom fixtures, as well as lumber and building materials like gypsum. Statistics on G-P’s economic impact in the state of Georgia were presented, including direct employee numbers, indirect job creation, and total compensation and benefits.

Having worked at both a public and private company (G-P) before, Smith commented on the differences between the two kinds of corporate cultures, listing off the corporate values of G-P. “Do all companies have these? Yes,” she said. However, the public company she previously worked at, she said, “They had very similar ones on their wall too, but they weren’t living them. They weren’t applying them. One thing I find extremely special about Georgia-Pacific is these are real, and at every level.”

Smith went on to discuss how G-P’s owner, Koch, diversifies its portfolio, as well as G-P’s various philanthropic outreach efforts, among other topics. She concluded her speech by taking questions from the audience.