Pros
GP is a Very large corporation that is highly dedicated to substantial growth and development of its operations. As a subsidiary of Koch industries, it reinvests 90% of its earnings into the business. This is evident by Many large capital projects in progress at many of its production facilities. This unparallel to its paper competitors making GP an excellent company to be apart of if you want a long term stable career.
Cons
While GP clearly shows a dedication to growing the business Unfortunately they do not see its own people as an essential part to this. While the starting wage for entry level engineers is decent don’t be fooled, bonuses and raises are hard to come by. In addition, the focus at the mills is highly production driven. Operations is on a strict time line and employees are often rushed and overloaded. While safety is talked about daily and said to be important, most operators and even some lower level managers don’t believe upper management considers it a priority when little capital and/or time is provided to fix major safety concerns. Additionally, new engineers are provided little to no direction upon entering the mill. I was given a 6 month training checklist from HR. a large majority of it had nothing to do with my job therefore My supervisor had told me not to worry about it. He provided no further guidance as to what my job entailed except that I should be “engaged and excited at work”. No one will show any dedication to helping you learn your job and develop your career because everyone is overworked. My advice, If you have a good GPA, with solid co-op/internship experience , avoid the paper industry all together.
