Defying expectations and gravity

His teacher said it couldn’t be done, yet 13-year-old Rodney Young successfully built an oscilloscope for his science project.

The instrument is used to design basic electronic systems, and Rodney continued to meet naysayers throughout his life – even as he failed courses in high school and dropped out of university.

However, he always believed he’d end up being an entrepreneur – and this tenacity is how Rodney built his successful business developing solutions for the likes of Boeing Defence Australia.

Rodney is now the managing director of Kingston-based company Masters & Young, a designer and manufacturer of world-class electronic products and devices.

The company specialises in designing and assembling electronics that require complex engineering for use in difficult environments such as underground mines, space and military battlefields.

‘We’ve launched rockets to test hypersonic equipment in South Australia,’ Rodney says.

‘We built all the electronics – even the people at Woomera were astounded that it was done by a little “small” firm in Woodridge.

‘We often get the opportunity to tell other states that our gear is Australian and Logan-made.’

It all began in 1997 when Rodney co-founded the company with Scott Masters and $1000 in credit.

‘One of our employees knew a customer had a problem and I was able to solve it quickly, which got us a job that financed the company,’ Rodney says.

Above: Rodney Young with his team.

Typical of successful entrepreneurs, Rodney has always had a penchant for problem-solving.

‘I’ve always been tinkering, always been good with my hands, always had a workshop to work in and always wanted to play with science-y things,’ he says.

Rodney hopes to instill the same love of learning in the next generation of young entrepreneurs.

‘We often get high school students wondering if they should drop out of school. I say “all you’ve got to do is pass commerce, English, science, and be nice to your teacher – then you’ll get to grow up and do things”.

‘It’s about getting people excited not just about science, but the can-do and how to get there.’

He cites an example of recently taking 15 staff to an electronics show in Melbourne. ‘No engineers, no gods, but the real people who do the soldering, so they can learn more about the industry,’ Rodney says.

‘Most firms bring their CEOs and CFOs, but we bring the most important people.’

The company’s Chief of Operations, Warren Hobbs, says they are blessed with a team of highly-skilled engineers and technicians who really love the work they do.

By June Ho

Photo at top: The Masters & Young hypersonic equipment being tested in South Australia.