The maker of Brawny® Celebrates Strong and Resilient Women on International Women's Day

ATLANTA, March 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Linda Alvarado, a commercial general contractor in Denver and the first Latino owner of a Major League Baseball team, is one of four women from traditionally male-dominated professions highlighted in a new video series launching this month.  On March 8, in celebration of International Women's Day, Georgia-Pacific's Brawny® paper towels brand will introduce inspiring stories of four women who have overcome adversity and are empowering others through their accomplishments.

Through its #StrengthHasNoGender initiative, Brawny® is encouraging conversation about strong and resilient women who are fostering female leadership and advancement. A video campaign brings the spirit of International Women's Day to life by telling the personal, social, economic and cultural achievements of these women:

• Linda Alvarado – CEO and President of Alvarado Construction, Inc.; President of Palo Alto, Inc. Restaurant Company; co-owner of the Colorado Rockies; she was the first Latino owner – male or female – in Major League Baseball
• Swin Cash – two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, three-time WNBA champion and the first female in studio analyst/host for MSG Networks covering the New York Knicks; she also covers men's college basketball for CBS Sports and is currently a forward for the WNBA New York Liberty
• Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice – President and Dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia; founder of the Center for Women's Health Research at Meharry Medical College; she is the first woman to lead the school as president and dean
• Maureen Stoecklein – firefighter for the Canton, Michigan Fire Department; she has spent 16 years in a profession where females make up less than five percent of the workforce

"Brawny has produced these inspirational and motivational videos about women who have entered into traditionally male-dominated professions," explains Alvarado.  "We share the challenges in our career paths and how we did not let the conventional thinking that 'strength and success is based on gender' cloud our vision.  We were not often accepted, nor thought to have any chance of succeeding. But, we did not give up and stayed focused on our ability to achieve our goals, while opening doors for other women to succeed."  

For more than 40 years the iconic Brawny® brand has also stood for toughness and the values epitomized by Alvarado and the other women featured.

"For International Women's Day, Brawny is putting the spotlight on women who have rolled up their sleeves and exhibited strength and leadership in their fields," said Laura Knebusch, vice president of marketing at Georgia-Pacific. "We are honored to tell the stories of these four inspirational women through our #StrengthHasNoGender campaign, and hope that they will empower women and girls everywhere to chase their dreams no matter what obstacles they face."

The #StrengthHasNoGender initiative is an extension of the Brawny® Stay Giant® campaign, which encourages and honors Americans who face adversity with strength and resilience.

Visit Brawny.com for more information.

About Georgia-Pacific
Based in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific and its subsidiaries are among the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of bath tissue, paper towels and napkins, tableware, paper-based packaging, office papers, cellulose, specialty fibers, nonwoven fabrics, building products and related chemicals. Our familiar consumer brands include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, enMotion®, Sparkle®, Mardi Gras® and Vanity Fair®, as well as Dixie®. Its GP Harmon subsidiary is among the world largest recyclers of paper, metal and plastics. The company employs approximately 35,000 people directly, and creates nearly 92,000 jobs indirectly. For more information, visit: gp.com.

Video - http://youtu.be/IWGjvGTuCqw

SOURCE Georgia-Pacific