Georgia-Pacific Gypsum Educational Offerings Enhance Customer Knowledge and Expertise

ATLANTA, Dec. 14, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, the company that pioneered the fiberglass mat gypsum industry more than 25 years ago, reaffirms its dedication to enhancing the ongoing continuing education of its customers by sharing knowledge gained from nearly three decades of experience. Through online and in-person training offered by Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, thousands of architects, contractors and distributors have completed courses on a variety of topics related to sustainability and long-term building performance.

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"Education is crucial to ensuring our customers are able to design and construct efficient buildings, and we make access to this education as easy as possible," said Dave Brewster, education and training manager, Georgia-Pacific Gypsum. "Georgia-Pacific Gypsum offers free online courses and in-person Lunch & Learns by our experienced architectural or field sales teams to ensure that our customers have the knowledge they need to position themselves as experts in their fields."

Georgia-Pacific Gypsum offers six free online courses that help professionals meet their continuing education needs. Available online 24 hours a day, these courses are the perfect way to fit education into a busy work schedule. The online-based classes are housed on AEC Daily and qualify for continuing education credits from professional associations, including the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Construction Specification Institute (CSI).

The courses cover issues important to those who specify, sell or use fiberglass mat gypsum panels and range from "Wind Uplift Solutions" to "Solutions to Moisture Control in the Building Envelope." Additional online courses include:

• Using Water Resistant Glass-Mat Gypsum Technology to Protect Against Moisture and Mold
• Specifying Levels of Finish for Gypsum Wallboard
• Overview of Firewalls and the Use of Glass-Mat Gypsum Shaftliner Panels
• Durability in Commercial Roofing Assemblies.

Georgia-Pacific Gypsum also offers in-person training. For example, Janet Zampini, a salesperson with Robert N. Karpp Company, attended an in-person training course in Boston on the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) building certification program. The course was led by a Georgia-Pacific Gypsum field sales manager.

"After participating in the course, I feel confident in my ability to help my customers work towards LEED certification on their projects," said Zampini. "We've seen a definite increase in the number of buyers looking for product to use in their LEED projects, and the class provided by Georgia-Pacific was informative and timely."

Architectural firms interested in product training can request Lunch & Learn sessions given by Georgia-Pacific Gypsum experts. Georgia-Pacific Gypsum offers Registered AIA continuing education and CSI construction education network courses, as well as non-accredited courses designed to provide complete information on specific Georgia-Pacific Gypsum products.

Subcontractors and distributors interested in educational courses can request an in-person presentation by calling their field sales professional.  For more information on all our training programs, visit GPGypsum.com and click on "Resources" then "Continuing Education." Check back periodically for new course listings.

About Georgia-Pacific

Headquartered at Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of building products, tissue, packaging, paper, cellulose and related chemicals. The company employs more than 40,000 people at more than 300 locations in North America, South America and Europe. Georgia-Pacific creates long-term value by using resources efficiently to provide innovative products and solutions that meet the needs of customers and society, while operating in a manner that is environmentally and socially responsible and economically sound. The company has long been among the nation's leading manufacturers and suppliers of building products to lumber and building materials dealers and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers, with brands such as Plytanium® plywood, DryPly® water repellent plywood, Ply-Bead® panels and Wood I Beam™ and XJ 85® joists offered by Georgia-Pacific Wood Products LLC. DensArmor Plus® interior panels, DensGlass® Sheathing and ToughRock® drywall are offered by Georgia-Pacific Gypsum LLC. The familiar consumer tissue brands of Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, Sparkle®, Soft 'n Gentle®, Mardi Gras®, So-Dri® and Vanity Fair®. Dixie Consumer Products LLC, a Georgia-Pacific company, manufactures the Dixie® brand of tabletop products. For more information, visit www.gp.com

The Georgia-Pacific logo is a trademark owned by or licensed to Georgia-Pacific Gypsum LLC.

LEED is a trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council and is used with permission.

SOURCE Georgia-Pacific Gypsum