VERONA, Veneto — Luigi Carlon made his name with something nobody sees, the membranes that keep water out of roofs, walls, and foundations. Yet this year on October 16 the founder of Index signed a renowned Amarone barrel in Gargagnago, Veneto as part of a decades-long annual ceremony that crowned him as one of three winners of the Masi Civiltà Veneta Prize (Venetian Civilisation Prize).
The Masi Foundation jury, linked to the Valpolicella wine house Masi, cited his bold decision to open his private art collection to Verona as part of the awards rationale. Since February 2020 it has filled Palazzo Maffei, a baroque palace on Piazza delle Erbe restored as a house museum.
Carlon founded waterproof constructions materials producer Index in 1978, and Swiss group Sika took a majority stake in 2018. He rarely gives interviews, but Italy Now spoke to him about his art and his life.
Q. For 42 years you devoted yourself to impenetrability. What did it teach you about doing business?
“An entrepreneur’s life is studded with risks and the unexpected,” Carlon said.
“To face them you need commitment, new goals, and courage to dare.”
Q. In 1978 you founded Index from scratch. What was the boldest bet?
“The early pioneering period was the hardest, but exhilarating,” he said. “Day and night I thought about finding new products, betting on marketing to meet customers’ needs.”
Q. From day one you gave 25 per cent of the company to your managers. Why?
“It was the winning idea,” Carlon said. “I thought it right to involve employees and let them share in the risks, but also the benefits.”
Q. Your membranes reached the Empire State Building and the Petronas Towers. Which site makes you proudest?
“The Normandy Bridge, for its futuristic architectural solutions,” he said.
Q. A technical, almost invisible product sold in more than 100 countries. How do you conquer the world with a niche?
“When we look at great modern works, their beauty and daring structure attract us, but we forget they must be protected and must last, from the foundations to the walls and the roof,” Carlon said. “Index makes about 2,500 products for these jobs.”
Q. Entrepreneur and collector. Is the instinct for art the same as the instinct for a deal?
“Doing business takes commitment to searching for new products,” he said. “A collector must try to discover new talent.”
Q. Today you lead Palazzo Maffei. Is it harder to run a museum or a company?
“I think ‘selling’ art is harder,” Carlon said.
