December 2013
| Business World Magazine | 57
The ski club opened in 1939 and was ul-
timately raised to peak form by former
Ford Motor Co. General Counsel Alan
Gornick, who purchased it in 1955. He
added a William H. Diddle-designed
championship links golf course – “The
Classic” – and, along with his son, Keith,
oversaw an expansion that
transformed Otsego from a
moderate 60 rooms on 500
acres to a sprawling 105
rooms across 4,000 acres.
“It’s very rustic, but
we’ve managed to maintain
the charm while moderniz-
ing,” Ringgenberg says.
The overhaul created a
home for the Swiss-inspired
Pontresina Restaurant, which
became one of eight restau-
rants in the state to receive
a Wine Spectator Award of
Excellence. A newer on-site
golf course, “The Tribute,”
spans 1,100 acres across the
Sturgeon River Valley and
was named both one of the
top 10 best new courses by
Sports Illustrated and one of
the state’s overall top 10 by
Michigan Golf Magazine.
The Gornick family officially relin-
quished ownership in 2006 when it sold
the facility to an investment management
group, and that group was prepared to
shutter the doors last year when exist-
ing club members – Roger Mali, owner
