Georgia-Pacific names Frerking chief sustainability officer

Georgia-Pacific LLC has named William A. "Bill" Frerking vice president and chief sustainability officer. He previously was chief counsel for the company's building products businesses.

In this newly created position, Frerking is responsible for the company's overall sustainability efforts, including working with Georgia-Pacific's business units and procurement and staff groups to develop and implement sustainability strategies, goals, measurement and reporting. He also will represent the company in sustainability discussions with customers and other groups. Frerking reports to Philip Ellender, senior vice president – government and public affairs.

"Sustainability continues to be increasingly important to the success of Georgia-Pacific and our customers," said Jim Hannan, Georgia-Pacific's chief executive officer and president. "Under Bill's leadership, we will move forward in our sustainability efforts in a way that is environmentally and socially responsible and economically sound."

Frerking joined Georgia-Pacific in 2006 from Koch Cellulose, where he had served as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary since 2004. Prior to that, he held positions with Koch Industries Inc. and other Koch companies, including the position of Koch's assistant general counsel for environmental compliance and assistant general counsel for Flint Hills Resources, LP. Frerking served on Koch's first Environmental, Health and Safety Leadership Council and as a board member for Reiss Remediation Company.

Before he joined Koch in 1996, Frerking was in private legal practice for 10 years. From 1986 to 1991, he worked in securities law, and mergers and acquisitions before developing a specialty in environmental law. In 1991, he joined the environmental department of Morrison & Hecker (now Stinson Morrison Hecker), where he became a partner. Frerking received a bachelor's degree in business and public administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and his law degree from the University of Missouri School of Law at Columbia.

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 approximately 50,000 people at more than 300 locations in North America, South America and Europe.