Community support. That’s the reason that Georgia-Pacific officials gave as one of the biggest reasons corporate officials agreed to invest an estimated $400 million in the Brewton paper mill.

Yes, they said $400 million dollars.

The Brewton GP plant produces two products – white top consumer board that is seen on items such as pizza boxes, and SBS, which is found as high-end cosmetic packaging. The plant employs more than 450 people.

Each and every one of those locals depend on GP to keep the lights on and groceries on the table.

Anytime one begins talking about economic development, one of the foremost questions is, “What does the community think about this?”

In GP’s case, our community – and its leaders – believed that this area could not stand to lose such a valuable resource, and they did what they could to make sure that idea did not come to bear.

“This is a huge investment for our future,” General Manager Jeff Joyce said. “This is a long-term, state-of-the-art project that is unparalleled in North America. Community support was vital (for the project). We couldn’t have moved forward without it.”

And we know that Brewton and the surrounding areas couldn’t move toward the future without such good stewards of the economic community.