At Georgia-Pacific, we work to empower individuals to realize their full potential and positively contribute to their communities. The GP Second Chance Program provides hope for those who reenter society after incarceration – hoping to build a new life to support their family and to become productive members of society with a brighter future.

Benjamin Zellers and Lewis Johnson are employees at our plywood mill in Madison, Ga., who have benefited from this program. Learn more about their journey and our second chance hiring efforts in the full video below.

When it comes to hiring, we also ban the criminal history box on job applications to help remove barriers and evaluate candidates on their potential, not their past mistakes. Our parent company, Koch Industries, initiated “Ban the box” in 2015 to ensure everyone can apply for suitable employment, including those who are justice involved. And in 2020, Koch rolled out the “Creating Second Chances” strategy as a guide to recruit and hire formerly incarcerated people.

Follow the link to the Social Stewardship section for more stories like this.