About
Five Generations
in Greater Lansing
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During the height of the Roaring 20’s, Bill’s maternal great-grandfather, George Peterson, sold his family mill in Michigan and moved to Florida for better weather and better investments. George then entered in his new profession, flourishing in the real estate community.
So successful was this change that he persuaded his son-in-law William Nicolson Cawood, his daughter Helen, and their young son, George, to join him. The two men successfully bought and sold real estate and developed neighborhoods, thriving and in the area for almost a decade.
Roots in Real Estate
George Peterson, 1920’s
William, one of eight children raised on a Marlette farm, completed his degree at Michigan Agricultural College and began a successful real estate career in Lansing. He later partnered with his father-in-law in Florida real estate, where he and his wife welcomed their son John in 1923. After the Florida market collapsed in the late 1920s, William moved the family back to Lansing to rebuild.
During the Depression, he continued building homes despite challenges—sometimes accepting farm goods as payment. By 1945, he had founded Cawood Realty, and his impact was recognized with a Lansing street bearing the family name.
Building with Integrity
William Nicolson Cawood, 1930’s-40’s
Creating Quality Homes
George Cawood & John Cawood, 1940’s-70’s
William’s sons, George and Jack, worked summers on building sites while in school, often with framing crews. Jack began studies at Michigan State College in 1941 but left to join the Navy Air Corps in 1942. After serving as a fighter pilot and flight instructor, he returned to graduate in 1948. While he had sold real estate for Cawood Realty, his passion shifted to homebuilding.
That same year, Jack founded John F. Cawood Builder and began constructing homes throughout East Lansing, including Chesterfield Hills, Glencairn, and Bailey. He also built nearly half the homes in the Old Whitehills and Whitehills neighborhoods, developed by his close friend Al White.
Brothers United
John F. & William E. Cawood, 1980’s-20’s
Jack’s sons, John Jr. and Bill, grew up around the homes their father built and were eager to join the business. John Jr. came on in the mid-seventies, and the two Johns began developing Riverwood Park in Okemos. His outgoing nature helped the business thrive. Bill, six years younger, worked as a laborer before graduating from Michigan State University in 1984 with a degree in Building Construction Management, then joined as a partner. In 1986, Cawood Building Co. was officially formed as Jack transitioned into retirement.
The company continued building custom homes in Riverwood Park, Whitehills Lakes, and Whitehills Woods in East Lansing and Haslett, as well as Cambria Heights and The Greens of East Lansing. After John’s untimely passing in 1998, Bill carried the business forward, drawing on his education, family knowledge, and hands-on experience.
Continuing the Legacy
Bob & Sam Cawood, 2020’s -
Bill’s sons, Bob and Sam, cleaned up job sites during their summers of adolescence. Bob studied Mathematics and played tennis at Hope College and the University of Detroit-Mercy. A few years after graduating in 2013, he established a name for himself in the tennis industry, and later became the head coach at Hope. Looking for a change, in he returned to the family business and has established himself as a great communicator and a detail oriented manager.
Sam studied Applied Engineering and Computer Science at Michigan State University, graduating in 2018. He co-founded a web development company and during this time developed a passion for enterprise operating systems and project management. With a desire to start building in the physical, he turned to the family business in as an opportunity to elevate his skillsets and carry the family torch.