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Most people look for a company that they can grow in, but not many have the opportunity to work for a company that they can grow up in, but that’s exactly what Dorius Woodbuy did as one of more than 100 students participating in Georgia-Pacific’s Internship and Co-op Program.

“I can’t say enough positive things about Georgia-Pacific,” Dorius said. “This company has given me so much by investing in me when I was an elementary school student through GP Buddy; as a high school student with Youth Entrepreneurs of Atlanta®; and now giving me a chance to produce, direct, edit and film various projects with different business segments as an intern in the Television and Photography department. This is definitely the place that gives you the chance to grow and excel.”

Each year, for more than 10 years, GP recruits at top colleges and universities throughout the country to find students to participate in the company’s internship and co-op program which includes opportunities in Supply Chain, Transportation and Logistics, Information Technology, Accounting and Finance, and Engineering.

“Our internships give students the opportunity to showcase their diverse knowledge, skills and backgrounds and use them in real-world work situations,” said Michelle Tuohy, college recruiting program manager. “It gives GP the opportunity to assess whether the students align with our MBM® Guiding Principles and if they will fit well from a virtues and talents perspective, long-term.”

By giving the students the opportunity to do more than “push papers,” they have a chance to showcase their talents and lead projects that create value for the company as an intern, with the goal of continuing to contribute as a GP employee. Jennifer Sweet was one of approximately 35 interns participating in Georgia-Pacific’s Entry Level Engineering Internship program who “engineered” her internship opportunity into a full-time job.

“As an intern at the Port Hudson, La., facility I worked on an asset management project that helps make operations safer and more productive. Now as a proud GP employee, I am working on a $500 million dollar investment project. It’s been an amazing experience to work for a company who invests resources, in a down economy, in people, production and processes to grow the employees and the company as a whole,” Jennifer said.

Hector Gruber, GP intern and Florida International University student, can also attest to the positive experiences because of the hands-on experience he received during his accounting internship. Hector spent his summer at the Buena Park, Calif., box plant where he learned how the manufacturing process and accounting work together.

“It’s about getting sweaty and getting dirty, not sitting behind a desk playing solitaire,” said Hector. “Can you imagine accountants wearing hard hats and steel-toed boots? Well at GP they do.”

Hector’s most noteworthy project came from the plant’s procurement manager, Dan Fuller. Hector analyzed roughly one year of invoices from a vendor and discovered that for three specific pallet types, the agreed upon price and the actual price paid were not the same. The discrepancy amounted to an overcharge of $43,000.

“The work he did was critical for our business,” Dan said. “The intent of the internship was always to give him real work; we weren’t going to have him make copies for us.”

According to Michelle, “More and more businesses within GP are recognizing the value in our intern and co-op programs and Hector’s experience is a clear example of that. We feel strongly about our program and the advantage it gives us when recruiting on college campuses; however, the interns are our best ambassadors. When they return to their schools and talk about the work that they accomplished and their overall experiences, we couldn’t ask for better advertising to attract the best and brightest to Georgia-Pacific.”

To learn more about GP’s Internship and Co-op program visit www.gp.com/careers.