Chapman awards MS International (MSI) Inc. CEO Manu Shah the 2023 Argyros College of Business Excellence Award
Manu Shah (right) was recognized for his excellence in creating a billion-dollar enterprise and an enduring philanthropy to the global community. Photos by EMI THOMAS, Staff Photographer
MSI International CEO and founder Manu Shah, along with his wife, Rika Shah, were awarded the 2023 Argyros College of Business Excellence Award, an award that recognizes high achievement in business ventures.
Among the faculty in attendance at the Nov. 9 event were Henrik Cronqvist, the dean of the Argyros College of Business and Economics, and Chapman President Daniele Struppa. Also in attendance was City of Orange Mayor Dan Slater, and the event was directed by Pradip Shukla, an associate professor of management. His wife, Yatri Shukla, assisted Cronqvist in organizing the event. Slater also presented the couple with the Mayor’s Certificate of Recognition.
Much of the ceremony, which was held in the George Bush Conference Center, was dedicated to the history of MSI International, which was founded by Manu and Rika Shah as a private, family-owned business when he moved to the United States from India. It started in 1975 as something operated out of their original home in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The two had moved to the United States with little more than $200 on them.
The company saw a steady period of growth from that point on, eventually becoming a $3 billion worldwide company with thousands of employees. Manu Shah boasted that even in the recession and pandemic, he never fired a single employee.
“In my and in my wife’s life, there is no such thing as success,” Manu Shah said at the ceremony. “We believe in journey, and we are going one step at a time, one mile at a time, and we keep going, and we keep going, and we keep going. There is no end to it.”
“In my and in my wife’s life, there is no such thing as success. We believe in journey, and we are going one step at a time, one mile at a time, and we keep going, and we keep going, and we keep going. There is no end to it.”
Shah founded MSI International with his wife, Rika, in their original home in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The company is now worth $3 billion and has thousands of employees.
The Shahs said that their success was proof that the American Dream was still very much around, despite modern cynicism towards it.
Manu Shah iterated that his story of building his company up from nothing would not have been able to happen back at his home in India, nor in many other places in Europe and Asia. He reflected that when he had moved to America, India had gone through several rough events, namely wars with China and Pakistan, that left employment less viable for him and his wife.
“It is so wonderful to acknowledge people that embody the American Dream and show that it is still alive,” Slater said. “I love that Manu and Rika, you visited Orange, I love that you live in Orange. We’re so proud of you and your company and we thank you so much.”
Another portion of the ceremony was dedicated to recognizing MSI International’s many acts of philanthropy, pouring billions into sustainable projects across the world. These include supporting organizations promoting healthier living in South Asia among students ages 11-13, as well as supporting several not-for-profits located in Africa to help with social change through setting up hubs for crucial education. MSI International even practices donating items to senior citizens living in Orange.
“I don’t want history to remember me,” Manu Shah said to a standing ovation at the event. “I want history to remember what we have done.”
“I don’t want history to remember me. I want history to remember what we have done.”
The ceremony was rounded out by Manu Shah sharing some tips he had learned throughout his years in growing MSI International, in the hopes that the audience could take something away from his experience and his journey. This was followed by a talk with Pradip Shukla, in which he answered more questions from students and the audience in attendance.
“Manu and Rika Shah are well-recognized community leaders, and we have invited prominent Southern California Indian business & community leaders to attend the awards ceremony,” Shukla said to the Panther. “This will help our SASA (South Asian Student Association) students and APIDA (Asian Pacific Islander and Desi American) staff and faculty forum to connect with the Southern California Indian leaders to benefit Chapman University's mission of preparing global citizens.”
“Manu and Rika Shah are well-recognized community leaders, and we have invited prominent Southern California Indian business & community leaders to attend the awards ceremony. This will help our SASA (South Asian Student Association) students and APIDA (Asian Pacific Islander and Desi American) staff and faculty forum to connect with the Southern California Indian leaders to benefit Chapman University’s mission of preparing global citizens.”