Net Lugg Lo

As part of my work with IEEE’s Electrical Insulation magazine, I interview members of the Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society (DEIS) and related societies about their work and lives. In the most recent profile, I spoke with Martin Baur about his family business and his busy retirement.

While smoking his pipe from his home in Röthis, Austria, a small village near the Swiss border, Martin Baur discussed BAUR GmbH, his family business, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, as well as his active retirement full of patents, travel, family, and scuba diving.

It is not surprising that Martin Baur's motto is “net lugg lo,” a phrase in the regional dialect that roughly translates to “never give up,” “keep pushing forward,” or “stay steady.” It is a motto that has driven him throughout his life to stay vigilant in the face of change, embrace bold ideas and visions, and always stay one step ahead.

“We had some difficult times in the company's development, but if you stay on your track and if you continue and don't stop your dedicated goal, you are certainly successful. And therefore, the slogan net lugg lo is one of my favorites.”

At 81, Martin is “technically” retired, but that has not stopped his forward momentum. As he sat down to discuss his accomplishments, he had just returned from a power distribution network conference in Geneva and was leaving the following day to visit family in Asti, in the Piedmont region of Italy. After that, he and his wife, Valentina, would be off to Norway to celebrate her 75th birthday.