Ben Richgruber is the executive director of Eau Claire Regional Arts Center. He holds a Comprehensive Theatre Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire. He has honed his entertainment skills by teaching at the Disney Institute and performing with numerous improvisational comedy groups, including Eau Claire's very own BareBones Ensemble Theatre.
His business experience includes managing two hotels in the Madison, WI market and has assisted in the opening, renovation, and acquisition of six other hotel properties across Wisconsin. Richgruber is also a proud partner in The Oxbow Hotel in Eau Claire.
He has helped ECRAC play a key role in the Confluence Project, a public-private partnership working to bring a new $45M performing arts center to downtown Eau Claire. The shared facility will be used by both the community and the university, and will serve as a cultural destination for the region and beyond.
Most importantly, Richgruber firmly believes in the questionable practice of hiring artists as administrators, as his own position in arts management allows both sides of his brain to finally co-exist in peace.
