Going green with Riverwood Resort


There's green everywhere.

Riverwood Resort, located at 1313 E. Broomfield Road, has 27 holes of golf, 24 lanes of bowling, a clubhouse and a commitment to energy efficiency and environmentally friendly practices.

Richard Figg, the 54-year owner of Riverwood, explained how it all got started.

"In 1960, my family of two boys and two girls and my wife moved from Oxford, Mich. where I'd been teaching, and we came to Mount Pleasant and took over a real run-down 18-hole golf course," Figg said. "Greens were dead, equipment was poor and (we) just started from the bottom of the ladder."

Riverwood has expanded since those early days. In 1972, 24 lanes of bowling were added to Riverwood's clubhouse.

Riverwood has gone green in areas besides their golf course, as well. Figg gives credit to Bob Brooks, who he has known for more than 30 years.

"He's helped us a great deal in our vision on a few things that got us to move toward investing into electric energy," Figg said.

By tearing down an obsolete oil well derrick and putting it more than 100 feet in the air, it has helped them generate electricity at about $7,000 per year for the past 25 years, Figg said.

Since Riverwood is open year-round, they accommodate a variety of clientele.

Golfing season runs roughly from April through October, and bowling runs from September through the first part of May. A variety of events take place at Riverwood, such as weddings, special outings and even some entertainment.

The bowling lanes themselves feature a VIP area for those who are looking for a higher-end experience. Bowling and golf are just half the package. Riverwood also offers a sizable dining area, with options including h'orderves and appetizers.

"We take care of peoples' appetites if they come here," Figg said.

Jeremy Lawless, operations manager, has worked at Riverwood for five years. Graduating from Central Michigan University in 2008 with a degree in business and marketing, and now a Mount Pleasant resident, Lawless understands what CMU students are looking for.

"Central students are finding out what we have to offer here and they're enthusiastic and excited about it," he said. "We are kind of the complete package here in town and that's exactly what CMU students have been looking for."

Recent CMU graduate Travis Konen has worked at Riverwood for three months, dealing with the bowling aspect.

Konen has noticed the two different groups of bowlers that come in. First, the league bowlers who are more serious, and then the group who just comes to have a good time and are less competitive.

"It's kind of cool to see the difference in how we're tending to different markets in bowling," he said.

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