PODCAST · business
Engineering Success
by Rick Merten
Every entrepreneur starts their business full of dreams. Whether it’s innovating a better product or service, creating wealth, building a life to be proud of, or changing the world in some way, engineers are no different. ’Engineering Success’ is a podcast about keeping your dreams alive when things get tough. Because even the strongest technical skills can get overwhelmed by the endless demands of building a business, and one day, you realise that even the best product or service isn’t enough to guarantee success. ‘Engineering Success’ features engineering and industrial leaders chatting candidly about their journey to long-term success: the challenges they encountered, the lessons they learned and the solutions they put in place. Whether you’re an engineering consultancy, an industrial service provider, or a manufacturer, you’ll hear actionable insights from your peers on how they established strong company cultures, systemised operatio
Episodes
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The Trojan Horse Inside Your Client’s Team: Jonathan Bannister, The Design Technology Company
Most engineers start a business by selling their own technical skills, then slowly build a team around themselves. Jonathan Bannister took the opposite approach from day one. His rule was simple: he doesn’t touch the mouse. Jonathan is the managing director of The Design Technology Company, a...
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Why Delegation Is the Key to Growth: Jo Garretty, SALT3
Naming a business after your core values means every client, employee and decision gets measured against those words. For Jo Garretty, that was the point. Jo is the managing director of SALT3, a traffic, transport, waste and environmental engineering consultancy with offices across Australia. The...
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Standing in the Wreckage: Doron Levy on Fire Engineering, Failure, and Quality
Most engineers never see their own designs fail. Doron Levy has built a career on standing in the wreckage to work out why. Doron founded Fahrenheit Global, a fire engineering consultancy based in Sydney with offices in Milan and Buenos Aires. He trained as a structural engineer but left after...
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Three Sides of the Same Problem: Gary Finke, CleanTeQ Aromatrix
Solving odour problems for major infrastructure projects isn't glamorous, but getting it wrong makes life miserable for nearby communities. Gary Finke has spent 35 years making sure that doesn't happen. Gary is managing director of CleanTeQ Aromatrix, which designs and builds air and odour…
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Redefining Civil Superintendency: Edmund Tsang, Tsang Civil Consultants
Most superintendents administer contracts. Edmund Tsang believes the role should do far more than that. Edmund Tsang is the founder and principal of Tsang Civil Consultants (TCC), a civil engineering consultancy headquartered in Bella Vista, Sydney. Edmund built his career onsite across roads,...
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Redefining Civil Superintendency: Edmund Tsang, Tsang Civil Consultants
Most superintendents administer contracts. Edmund Tsang believes the role should do far more than that. Edmund Tsang is the founder and principal of Tsang Civil Consultants (TCC), a civil engineering consultancy headquartered in Bella Vista, Sydney. Edmund built his career onsite across roads,...
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Scaling an Engineering Business Beyond Technical Work: Michael Jones on Systems and Structure
When Michael Jones launched Jones Structural Engineering, he had no client base and no safety net — just a clear sense of how he wanted to build: on genuine relationships, quality work, and a value-first mindset he held to even when cash was tight. In this episode, Michael unpacks why so many...
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From Migrant Teenager to Business Owner: Jocelyn Do on Building a Civil Engineering Firm
Starting a business at 26 with no formal business training is daunting. Doing it during a global pandemic, as a female immigrant in a male dominated industry, takes a special kind of courage. Jocelyn Do is the director of JOCES, Jo Civil Engineering Services, a civil engineering consultancy based...
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Balancing Engineering Rigour With Commercial Reality: Kym Wilkinson, Wilkinson Shaw and Associates
Most civil engineers solve the technical problem. Few also think about who has to pay for it, deliver it, and make money from it. Kym Wilkinson is the principal engineer at Wilkinson Shaw and Associates, a Brisbane-based civil engineering consultancy specialising in residential subdivision...
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Building Discipline Into Growth: Shannon Neyland on Sustainable Engineering Leadership
What does it really take to grow an engineering business without losing control of quality, culture, and accountability? Shannon Neyland has built his career at the intersection of engineering delivery and executive leadership, starting on the tools and working his way through project…
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Pushing Limits Without Compromising Safety: Tim Cartledge, Cartledge Mining and Geotechnics
What does it take to keep a mine operating safely when the ground is unpredictable, and getting it wrong can shut down the entire operation? Tim Cartledge is the founder of Cartledge Mining and Geotechnics, a principal geotechnical engineer with decades of experience solving the mining industry's...
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Merging Firms to Multiply Impact: Moussa Youssef, Vanguard Consulting Engineers
What happens when an engineer gets fed up watching projects fail because no one coordinates properly? Moussa Youssef started BMY Engineering in 2018 after years of witnessing costly mistakes that could have been prevented. Six years later, he made a bold move—merging with Prime Engineering to...
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From Solo Founder to 23 Staff: Scaling a Fire Compliance Business: Aleks Culic, Projex Fire
What does it take to start a business at 20, in the middle of a pandemic, and turn it into one of Australia’s leading fire compliance companies? Aleks Culic is the founder of Projects Fire, a passive fire compliance company he launched in 2020 while most of his peers were still at university. By...
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Next Generation Thinking and the Future of Structural Engineering: Andrew Gall, Argall
Andrew Gall walked away from a secure engineering career to challenge the industry’s biggest perception problem: that engineers are box-ticking cost centres rather than creative partners in design. Andrew is the founding director of ARGALL, a structural and civil consultancy based in Melbourne,...
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You Can't Design a Solution to a Problem You Don't Understand: Ray Keefe, Successful Endeavours
Ray Keefe discovered that being a brilliant engineer wasn't enough when his business coach challenged him: "Are you any good? I don't believe your answer - prove it." This brutal honesty launched a transformation that saw his electronics manufacturing consultancy win over 60 awards and challenge...
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Working On, Not In the Business: Adam Hull, Hullcon
What if the secret to growing an engineering business isn't just about technical excellence, but about completely redefining how designers and contractors work together? Adam Hull, Managing Director of Hullcon, discovered this revolutionary approach when he recognised the massive waste created by...
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Waste is unnecessary, unintelligent, unsustainable, and uncommercial: Josh Robinson, JR Hammer
Josh Robinson, founder of JR Hammer, is a story that turns everything you thought you knew about recycling upside down. When China slammed its doors shut to the world's recyclables in 2018, Australia's scrap industry panicked. Hundreds of tons of copper cables suddenly had nowhere to go. Most saw...
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The Power of Saying No: Derya Horasan, Scientific Fire Services
What does it take to move to a new city with zero connections, build a thriving engineering consultancy, and eventually become a company director? In this compelling episode, Derya Horasan shares how he transformed Scientific Fire Services' Sydney office from a two-person operation to a respected...
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Building a Category-Defining Business and Setting a New Standard in Plant Assessment: Ben Horstmann, Consolidated Plant Service
What happens when a former diesel mechanic decides to solve one of the construction industry's biggest hidden problems? After an injury ended his original career path, and his adventures took him from Australian mines to the mountains of Kazakhstan, Ben Horstmann spotted a critical gap in how...
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From Utility Expert to Engineering Entrepreneur: How One Decision Changed Everything: Jonathan De Carlo, Grid Power Design
What happens when a successful utility engineer trades job security for entrepreneurial freedom? In this compelling episode of Long Term Thinking for Business Success, Jonathan De Carlo reveals how his dream of a relaxed lifestyle business transformed into a thriving engineering consultancy.…
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From Surfer to Director: How a Cheeky Interview Built a 28-Year Engineering Career: Michael Grogan, Birzulis Associates
In this episode, with Michael Grogan, one of the directors at Birzulis Associates, a consulting engineering firm that's been shaping Australia's structural landscape since 1989. Michael's journey from a laid-back surfer and cinema ticket-taker to becoming a key leader in one of Sydney's respected...
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From Tragedy to Triumph: How a Water Crisis Transformed This Engineering Business – Larry Narunsky, Convergent Water Controls
In this episode, Larry Narunsky shares his 28-year history as the technical director and founder of Convergent Water Controls (CWC) and how his company has become a cornerstone of Australia's water treatment industry over the past 28 years. Larry's story is a testament to the power of technical...
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People-First Engineering: A Journey to Sustainable Success: Russell King, MEX Engineering
Join us for an insightful episode of "Long Term Thinking for Business Success" as we delve into the journey of MEX Engineering Group with its founder and CEO, Russell King. In this episode, Russell shares the transformation of MEX Engineering into a people-driven organisation and its vision to...
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Navigating Challenges and Cultivating Trust: Insights from Paul Wehbe, Infrastructure Engineering Group
In this Long Term Thinking for Business Success episode, I sit down with Paul Wehbe, Managing Director of Infrastructure Engineering Group (IEG). With over 20 years of experience in the electrical infrastructure industry, Paul walks us through his transition from a corporate role at Ausgrid to...
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Dario Valenza: Flying High: Tech Innovation Uncharted Skies
Dario Valenza's innovation journey is a captivating narrative of perseverance, creativity, and strategic vision. From his early career in yacht racing to pioneering advancements in uncrewed aerial systems, Dario's trajectory embodies the essence of a true innovator. His passion for design and...
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Pete Sackett: The Art of Expertise and Conversations for Sustainable Success
In this insightful episode, Pete Sackett, the Founder and Director of CDE Design Solutions, shares his wealth of experience and knowledge on building a sustainable engineering business. He started CDE in 2001 after spending several years working in various engineering roles. His initial vision…
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Nina Kilpinen: From Engineering to Retail and Back Again: Unconventional Career Journey
In this episode of the Long Term Thinking for Business Success podcast, I sit down with Nina Kilpinen, the Managing Director of Seed Engineering, a specialist engineering consulting firm. Nina's career journey is anything but conventional. After spending almost, a decade as an engineer, she left...
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Wayne Shub: Principles of Courage and Unwavering Commitment
Embarking on a journey from South Africa to Australia, Wayne Shub, the founder and managing director of BHF Technologies, epitomises the essence of courage, determination, and the power of unwavering principles. In this captivating episode, we delve into the remarkable story of a visionary...
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Nathalie Scipioni: The power of networking, clear communications and being bold
In this episode I have a fascinating conversation with Natalie Scipioni, the visionary architect and founder of Natalie Scipioni Architects. From her Italian upbringing, steeped in history and aesthetics, to her architectural education in the heart of Florence, Natalie's path has been a tapestry…
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Jayne Good: Lessons in Leadership: How Jayne Built a Thriving Business
Join me for a fascinating conversation with Jayne Good, the chief operating officer of Good Constructions. With almost 30 years of experience, Jayne shares some really valuable insights into how she and her husband started and grew their company, which focuses on building high end custom homes…
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Neil Glentworth: From High School Dropout to fortune 500 and government advisor
From dropout to CEO - the improbable rise of Neil Glentworth Neil Glentworth's path from leaving school at 16 to leading a global group of businesses against all odds is a story of grit, determination and long-term vision. Our conversation offers valuable lessons for business owners and leaders...
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Jason Simms: From Startup to International Expansion: Lessons in Growth and Innovation for Small Business Owners
Jason Simms is one of the founders and directors of Blackbook.ai, an Australian company driven by unlocking the true value of organisations through artificial intelligence, automation, and data analytics. In our conversation, Jason shares the background story of Blackbook.ai, from its humble...
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Renee Francis: Creating a flexible and productive distributed company
Renee Francis, founder of The Bubble Co, began her journey began with her realisation that the corporate world was not for her, leading her to take on contract positions and gain valuable experience in various industries. This work grew to the point that she founded The Bubble Co with a vision to...
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Elinor Moshe: When things are tough, the character truly comes out
Elinor Moshe, founder of the Construction Coach, shares her journey of bridging the gap in the construction industry through mentorship and a powerhouse mindset. Elinor's story begins with her realisation of the complexity of driving consistent results and her decision to break free from a toxic...
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Michelle Kvello: Perseverance, adaptability and a clear vision
Michelle Kvello, the founder of Lantern Partners, a virtual CFO firm, has built a successful business by providing analytical and commercial support to startups and scale-ups. With a vision to empower fast-growing businesses and contribute to Australia's entrepreneurial economy, Michelle has been...
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Louie Dupe: Overcoming adversity to build a $20M business
In the world of entrepreneurship, overcoming challenges and finding solutions is a constant pursuit. Louie Dupe, the founder and director of Customer Driven has experienced the highs and lows of building his business. After more than a decade of experience in leading large-scale customer service...
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Greg Thomas: Creating a sustainable business by focusing on the right people
Looking for genuine, straightforward advice from a leader who's managed a hundred-year-old company for 20 years? Then you'll enjoy my chat with Greg Thomas from Sterland Computing. Here’s a sneak peek of the key takeaways: People Matter: Business is all about people, keeping customers and…
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Colin Fisher: A Thriving Business built on the Power of Customer Experience and Adaptability
Aquacell's founder and CEO, Colin Fisher, shares the key strategies behind the company's sustained success. In this episode, Colin highlights the importance of customer-centricity, strategic expansion into new markets, and adapting to a changing market landscape. Rick and Colin also discusses the...
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Julie McIntosh: Overcoming challenges through resilience and determination
Rick Merten talks to Julie McIntosh from The Classic Safari Company, a bespoke travel agency. They discuss How the business has adapted to the changing landscape of the travel industry Why Julie focuses on personal connections and understanding clients' needs and preferences, How her role has...
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Julie Peksis: Leading a multi-generational family business
In this episode I talk to Julie Peksis from Jeal, a multi-generational family business started almost 40 years ago by her father. Julie's unwavering commitment to understanding her customers' needs and facilitating their business management, alongside her relentless efforts to foster a culture of...
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Trailer: Engineering Success with Rick Merten
Every entrepreneur starts their business full of dreams, whether it's innovating a better product or service, creating wealth, building a life to be proud of, or changing the world in some way, and engineers are no different. This podcast is about keeping your dreams alive when things get tough,...
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Noel Scully: On Referrals and Relationships as Key to Business Resilience.
Noel Scully has more than two decades of experience helping business achieve their objectives faster than with their existing resources. In fact, the work that nem Australasia does has been so good that they have helped businesses be prepared for a sale. Building strong relationships with his...
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Damian Scodella: Winning the Numbers Game for Businesses
In this episode, Damian Scodella shares how he built his financial management and bookkeeping business, Square Penny. How he started from a one-man data cleansing project, to adding more staff, to recognizing how he could help businesses 'clean up' their accounting and numbers game. His story is...
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Neville Samuels: On Finding Business Success from Failure
Neville Samuels describes his journey that led to developing a successful business based on a vision to connect people - connecting businesses with the right skills and talent. From working as an accountant to starting a business that failed, but then having the tenacity to build a new one…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Every entrepreneur starts their business full of dreams.
Whether it’s innovating a better product or service, creating wealth, building a life to be proud of, or changing the world in some way, engineers are no different.
’Engineering Success’ is a podcast about keeping your dreams alive when things get tough. Because even the strongest technical skills can get overwhelmed by the endless demands of building a business, and one day, you realise that even the best product or service isn’t enough to guarantee success.
‘Engineering Success’ features engineering and industrial leaders chatting candidly about their journey to long-term success: the challenges they encountered, the lessons they learned and the solutions they put in place.
Whether you’re an engineering consultancy, an industrial service provider, or a manufacturer, you’ll hear actionable insights from your peers on how they established strong company cultures, systemised operatio
HOSTED BY
Rick Merten
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Engineering Success have?
Engineering Success currently has 44 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Engineering Success about?
Every entrepreneur starts their business full of dreams. Whether it’s innovating a better product or service, creating wealth, building a life to be proud of, or changing the world in some way, engineers are no different. ’Engineering Success’ is a podcast about keeping your dreams alive when...
How often does Engineering Success release new episodes?
Engineering Success has 44 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Engineering Success?
You can listen to Engineering Success on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Engineering Success?
Engineering Success is created and hosted by Rick Merten.
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