We support young founders

Every two years, the Peter und Luise Hager Foundation awards the Meister-Gründerpreis to three successful founders in the German electrical trade. The prize, which has been awarded since 2016 and is open to entries from all over Germany, rewards master craftsmen and women in the electrical trade for their courage, their personal business concept and the success associated with it. 

The next call for tenders is expected to start at the beginning of March 2026 with the Light + Building trade fair.

The patron of the project is the current Minister President of Saarland.
The seven-member jury consists of renowned personalities from politics, business and trade.

Jürgen Barke: Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs and Energy of the Saarland and Deputy Minister President of the Saarland

Markus Bruder: Member of the Board of VEG e.V. and Managing Director of Friedrich Streb GmbH in Offenburg

Jörg Feddern: Vice President of the ZVEH and Managing Director of Fetech Elektrotechnik GmbH

Bernd Hammes: Managing Director of the Vocational Training Policy Division of the Koblenz Chamber of Skilled Crafts and Small Businesses

Dr. Jürgen Jarosch: Managing Director of the Electrical and Information Technology Competence Network ELKOnet and Managing Director of the Elektro Technologie Zentrum (etz), Stuttgart

Dominik Schömer: Head of the Vocational Training Centre of the Saarland Chamber of Crafts and Trades

Gregor Wille: Standards expert of the Hager Group and Foundation representative

Patron: Minister President of Saarland Anke Rehlinger 

In 2020, the tender was cancelled due to the pandemic.

The following founders received the Master Founder Award of the Peter und Luise Hager Foundation on 6th November 2024 in Berlin under the patronage of Anke Rehlinger, Minister President of Saarland.

One of the deserving winners is Adrian Gloss and his company Eddison Electrics GmbH from Stuttgart. Born in Stuttgart, he specialises in sophisticated lighting technology and battery storage systems and began his journey into founding the company with self-built skateboard lamps. One of Eddison Electrics' current major projects is the move to new, larger premises, including a warehouse and workshop. The prize money from the Meister-Gründerpreis will be invested in training panels equipped with KNX technology, which he intends to use to train his trainees internally. ‘Promoting the next generation of skilled workers is very important to me, and I also offer internships in addition to apprenticeships,’ says Adrian Gloss. He found out about the Meister-Gründerpreis through the Stuttgart Guild and the Stuttgart Electrical Technology Centre.

The second winner of the tender is master electrician Jan Ochterbeck from Pinneberg. His company Elektrotechnik Ochterbeck GmbH specialises in high-quality electrical installations, with the long-term goal of specialising in installations with building systems technology. His wife Mirjam Dohmhardt supports Jan Ochterbeck in personnel and office matters. Jörg Struß from the Hager sales team in Dortmund drew his attention to the Meister-Gründerpreis. He is using the prize money to expand the office into a showroom to show his customers products and solutions in use. He would also like to set up a commission warehouse and expand his staff.

Leik-Kilian Valkai is the third winner of the Master Founder Award. The trained industrial master craftsman for mechatronics founded the company IEV-Industrieservice & Elektroinstallation Valkai in Eberswalde with Marie Chantal Valkai, an interior designer. The company's main fields of activity are PV systems, storage systems, energy management and electromobility for detached houses and large open spaces. The entrepreneur is convinced that the energy transition can only be achieved with these solutions. The twelve-strong company relies on progressive personnel management and has introduced a four-day working week. ‘Michael Funk from Hager's Berlin sales team and Kay Richard from the energy management system sales team drew my attention to the Meister-Gründerpreis,’ says Leik-Kilian Valkai. He would like to use the prize money to push ahead with the modernisation of the company premises, in particular the construction of a training workshop.

The following founders received the Master Founder Award of the Peter und Luise Hager Foundation on 9th November 2022 in Berlin under the patronage of Anke Rehlinger, Minister President of Saarland.

Jakob Kanzler from Stuttgart-Möhringen founded his company Kanzler Elektrotechnik in 2020 at the age of 22 and now has five employees and three trainees. Promoting the next generation of skilled workers is very important to him. The successful founder is also socially committed: During the flood disaster in the Ahr valley, he helped the local people with reconstruction.

‘This work also showed me how important and practical a mobile workshop can be. That's why I'm going to invest the prize money in a suitably equipped box trailer,’ he reveals.

Nils Kußerow, who founded Elektro Kusserow GmbH in Waltrop in 2017 at the age of 22, can also look back on a successful business start-up. He now employs 15 people, including several journeymen and trainees. He is also very involved in the electrical industry in his region: he is not only the deputy head of the Recklinghausen Electrical Engineering Guild, but also a brand ambassador for the ZVEH and a supporter of the ‘E-Zubis’ campaign. He has also set up a collection centre for Ukrainian refugees in his company and carries out renovation work in the refugees' homes free of charge. Hager sales representative Karl Göbel drew his attention to the Meister-Gründerpreis. He plans to use the prize money to finance an electronic time recording system in his vehicles.

The third award winner is Paolo Raimondo, who has been running the company H & R Elektrotechnik in Saarbrücken together with his business partner Norman Hummel since 2018. The then 36-year-old completed his first orders from his private garage, which served as a warehouse. The offices were also located in private premises. Today, H & R Elektrotechnik operates a second site in Saarbrücken with 200 square metres of company premises and employs eight people, including four trainees - one of whom is a Syrian refugee. He also showed social commitment after the flood disaster on the Ahr. ‘It was a matter of course for us to help the people there - especially as we were urgently needed there as electrical tradesmen,’ reports Paolo Raimondo, who will invest the prize money in planning software and other IT equipment.

The following founders received the Master Founder Award of the Peter und Luise Hager Foundation on 7th November 2018 in Berlin under the patronage of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, former Minister President of Saarland.

Kevin Breuer has held the master craftsman's certificate in the electrical trade since the beginning of 2018. With the founding of BG Elektrotechnik GmbH & Co. KG in Ratekau, Schleswig-Holstein, he has become his own boss. His company's services range from electrical installations of all kinds to street lighting and event power supply. The installation of e-charging stations is also part of his portfolio.

Another award winner in 2018 was Jannik Henken, who made the decision to start his own business after receiving his master craftsman's certificate in February 2015. He specialised in the renovation of old buildings in the Oldenburg area. In June 2016, he took over Elektro Jäger, an existing company.

Jan Liesche (second from left) and Steven Kolbe (right) were also awarded with the Master Founder Award in 2018 with their company Likosys GmbH in Berlin. The two founders take care of electrical systems for industrial and commercial facilities of all kinds.

On 12th October 2016, the Master Founder Award in the German electrical trade was presented for the first time to three founders or successors in the trade. The awards were presented by Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, former Minister President of Saarland, and the jury at the "Haus des Familienunternehmens" in Berlin.

Ronny Schröder, Elektros in Rechlin

Candy Kujat, Gebäude- und Systemtechnik Potsdam