Construction Jobs in Northern Michigan were few and far between in 1957. When brothers, Gordon and Denny Converse, decided to start their own company. In 1957 Wanigan Corporation was born.
Their first job was a home on Crystal lake, just north of Frankford, Michigan. There were very few new homes being built around Elk Rapids, MI. at this time.
The brothers first discovered the area through their parents in 1948. That was the year their parents bought property on Grand Travers Bay. The family spent all their vacation’s on ‘The Bay’ along what would eventually become JOE MARKS TRAIL. The family lived in Franklin Village, near Birmingham, Michigan, at the time. It was their father, Vernon, who taught them basic construction. their father didn’t make a living as a builder, but he was always buying old houses and remolding them.
“There were not many mornings that I didn’t wake up and see a table saw at the foot of my bed” – Gordon Converse
As a young boy, Gordon spent several summers working in the area, picking cherries and working at the local packing. After graduation from Alma College he married his wife Joan. They immediately moved to Elk Rapids, Michigan and Gordon went to work for, The Super Tool Company, working in Methods-Time-Measurement. It didn’t take long for brother Denny to relocate to Elk Rapids.
Joe Marks inspired the Converse brothers when they began searching for a name for their new company. He was the man for whom the road is named. They had a small cabin on ‘The Bay’. Joe Marks would always refer to it as their ‘WANIGAN’. Which, he said, was Indian for ‘Cabin-in-the-woods’. They researched the name. They found it was also a lumbering term with a similar meaning. Desirous of building many “Cabins in the Woods” they named their business after that little cabin.
From the beginnings, as a business venture hatched in Gordon’s living room, Wanigan Corporation has continued to grow and prosper. The brothers faced many struggles. Through hard work, they gradually built the company. This company would produce many of the private homes and commercial buildings now dotting the local landscape.
The company celebrates its 68th year on January 8th, 2025. It still specializes in the construction of custom homes, remodeling, and the construction of commercial buildings.
Both brothers, Gordon and Denny, have since retired from Wanigan Corporation. Leaving behind their legacy to Gordon Converse’s daughter, Connie Nault. Connie and her husband Jeff purchased the business in 2006. Both Connie and Jeff Nault are license builders and enjoy working with the customers and serving the area. Connie and Jeff are committed to continuing the “Building Excellence” that Wanigan Corporation is known for.
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