Mitchell Trager.

• Position: Georgia-Pacific LLC senior tax counsel - Interview

For Mitchell Trager, senior tax counsel at Georgia-Pacific LLC, involvement in the tax industry really was a way of life. His father, who passed away when Trager was a teenager, was a tax attorney for a major New York law firm. "We used to talk about what he did, what work was like, and a variety of interesting situations and problems that he used to work on--and I guess all of those discussions we had about his job helped to hook me on getting involved in the tax scene," Trager says.

Indeed, while Trager finds many tax areas interesting, he is most intrigued by projects that involve researching the tax code, supporting regulations, and reviewing the plethora of court cases dotting the corporate tax landscape. "These situations allow me to stay current with tax regulation and policy--and when you couple that with helping to understand your business' operations, you realize what an incredibly rewarding field corporate tax can be."

What is the most problematic issue Trager has encountered in his enduring career in corporate tax? Here's how he explains it: "When I was a young tax lawyer working for Seagram's, trying to understand parts of a large DuPont issue for IRS audit purposes, it was extremely frustrating," he says. "I remember the problem as having to deal effectively with what was a very significant issue, and realizing that often tax issues can be extremely complicated."

Trager has thoroughly enjoyed his tenure at Georgia-Pacific. "I love working for Georgia-Pacific and being part of the Koch family of companies," he says. "The best part of Georgia-Pacific is our tax leadership team--the knowledge of the team, the support, and the ability of the individual members of the team to grow as tax professionals can be truly inspirational. The ability to understand law and to apply legal principles and concepts to the multitude of tax issues that my company continually faces is what motivates our team and me every day. In addition, we are assisting the company overall in creating additional value for our shareholders--and that can be a very rewarding goal as a tax professional. Finally, I truly love and appreciate being able to visit our more than 250 operations in the United States and to be able to meet and interact with so many people in the field. It's an incredibly rewarding experience."

The Seagram's Experience

Tragers work at Seagram's, prior to his joining Georgia-Pacific, proved to be a solid foundation for his current work. "As this...