Litronic Exec Kris Shah Wins SBA State Honor

Orange County technology executive Kris Shah has been named the state’s small-business person of the year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Shah is founder and chief executive of Irvine-based Litronic Industries Inc., which builds and designs security systems for computers. The company, which employs 65 people, was started in 1970.

“I felt honored, because there are so many thriving companies in the Silicon Valley,” Shah said. “Normally, this award goes to Northern California companies. I hope this is a sign that we have an amazing technology industry happening down here [in Orange County].”

Shah was selected, in part, because of his success in shifting Litronic’s focus from defense and aerospace industries to the personal computer and digital security arenas, according to an SBA statement. SBA officials could not be reached for comment.

Litronic has developed digital systems that enable users to identify themselves by inserting a “smart card” into a PC. The card contains information about the person and that individual’s password. This kind of electronic security system lets people set up secure connections between different computers, or can be used as a personal ID card to limit staff access to certain parts of a company’s office.

The company has business alliances with both Netscape Communications Corp. and Microsoft Corp.

Shah will receive his award Thursday at a luncheon at the Sequoia Conference Center in Buena Park.