By By Lisa Tindell – news reporter
More than 300 men and women stood in line Wednesday morning waiting for an opportunity to attend a job fair session sponsored by Georgia-Pacific.
The job fair sessions were presented by the company to help answer questions from Smurfit-Stone employees concerning the pending sale of the company.
Hardison was joined by other Georgia-Pacific officials as presentations were made concerning operations, salaries, wages and benefits the company will be offering.
Dave Massengill, a member of the Operations Excellence team, spoke to the group concerning employee guidelines established by Georgia-Pacific as well as safety issues in such an environment.
The presentations by Hardison and Massengill were important, but not what the 150 men and women seated in the Brewton Community Center had come to hear.
Dave Huffman, who serves at the vice president of human resources for Georgia-Pacific, spoke to the group about what salaries, wages and benefits the company offers employees of the company. Huffman addressed rumors that indicated the plant would be closed for a period of time during a transition period.
Huffman said Georgia-Pacific offers competitive wages the company believes will help to attract good employees.
Potential Georgia Pacific employees received a packet of information that outlined wage information for hourly employees.
The wage scale ranged from a low of $16.50 per hour to a high of $29.50 per hour.
No information was provided for salaried employee pay scales.
Huffman also explained the three-tier medial insurance benefits plan available to company employees.
Huffman also told the group about other insurance plans and availabilities, as well as holiday and vacation pay benefits.
Georgia Pacific's senior recruiter, Keith Higgs, who addressed the group during the final portion of the job fair session, answered questions concerning the application process.
Higgs explained those who apply need to do so through the Alabama Employment Service Center, either in person or on-line.
Higgs said there was not specific time frame when potential employees would know whether they would be offered a job with the company.
Anyone interested in finding out more information about employment opportunities with Georgia Pacific should attend additional job fair sessions set for this week. Sessions will be held on Wednesday and Thursday at 9 a.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
It is not mandatory to attend the job fair in order to apply for a position, but the sessions may offer information important to potential employees.