Rick McElhinney's career began in engineering and major project environments, where delivery, safety, constraints, and systems thinking mattered. That practical grounding still shapes how he talks about energy: the point is not novelty for its own sake, but infrastructure that works.

Rick later founded Corporate Software Solutions, bringing software into engineering and manufacturing workflows at a time when technical computing was still moving from specialist environments into everyday practice. The company listed on the stock exchange in October 1987 and remains an important public marker of his founder experience.

Through Founders Forum, angel investing, and Commercialising Innovation, Rick's work expanded into founder mentoring and the hard commercial questions behind technical ideas: who needs it, who pays for it, what has to be proven, and what makes it worth building.

Mechpart Pty Ltd carries that private investment and mentoring lens for technically grounded ventures, while this site keeps the emphasis on Rick's public profile, selective speaking and briefing work, and current clean-energy role.

Energy, carbon, and climate infrastructure became a defining thread through Eco-Kinetics, CarbonLink, and Sunshine. Rick is now CEO and Director of Sunshine Energy Holding Co Ltd, where his focus is 24/7 carbon-free energy and the practical mix of storage, pumped hydro, optimisation, green fuels, and biomethanol needed to make clean energy reliable.

Rick's community work reflects the same practical orientation: strengthening local institutions, supporting youth development, and creating pathways for people who need access to opportunity.