Ask Rich Kremer what led him to a life in journalism and he’s quick to point to the mentors who helped him along the way.
First there was an inspiring middle school teacher who helped him discover a love of storytelling through short stories. Then came high school teachers who encouraged his writing. And then, in college, a meeting with the late Mike Simonson, a Wisconsin Public Radio journalist at WPR’s Superior bureau.
A Superior native, Rich was the first in his family to attend college. “I really wanted to make a living writing, and I thought the best way to do that was journalism,” he said.
But he struggled a bit to decide on a direction until he began working as a college intern at WPR’s Superior office.
“Within two weeks of doing radio and working with Mike Simonson I knew this was what I wanted to do,” Rich said.
He joined WPR full time in 2010 as a reporter in the Eau Claire bureau, and has been there ever since.
Rich now works as part of WPR’s state politics team.
“I do enjoy covering state politics because it does have such a big impact on people, whether they realize it or not,” he said. And he loves getting out and talking to residents of Wisconsin’s small towns and rural areas about the events affecting their lives.
“The more people I talk to, the more I fall in love with this job and this state,” Rich said.
Outside of work, you can often find Rich enjoying the outdoors four-wheeling or walking in the woods with his dog Ace. And he loves doing work at home rebuilding small engines, tinkering with his car, or tackling a home remodeling project.
“I really enjoy learning new skills and being able to put them into practice,” he said, joking that he is particularly happy if it’s a job “that leaves my hands dry, cracked and greasy.”
– Deneen Smith, News Editor
