Kris Shah, president of an Orange County electronics firm, has been named a runner-up in the Small Business Administration's national competition for Small-Business Person of the Year.
Shah, 59, who heads Litronic Industries Inc., an Irvine-based builder and designer of computer security systems, was chosen second runner-up in the competition. He qualified for the national contest after being named Small-Business Person of the Year in California.
The annual entrepreneur award was won by Ross Youngs, who started a company in his basement to develop a cheaper, environmentally friendly product for storing compact discs. His firm, Univenture Inc., is based in Columbus, Ohio.
Using a household clothing iron as a welding tool, Youngs, 41, created a lighter, sturdier packaging system for holding CDs. Sales have grown to $15 million at the company, which has Microsoft Corp., Sony Corp. and Warner Bros. among its customers.
