LOUISVILLE, KY -- Ayrshire Electronics chairman and chief executive Milo Bryant has died following a brief illness. He was 82.

Bryant, who passed away April 3, owned the contract electronics manufacturing services company for more than 20 years, helping to build it into a mid-tier multinational business.

He also worked for Graco Steel and Brandeis Machinery, before launching Bryant Equipment, which sold heavy industrial equipment. It was one of several businesses Bryant launched.

He also was involved in government, serving as Kentucky's secretary of transportation and commissioner of highways starting in 1988.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Dee Bryant; a daughter, Sharon Oates; and several grandchildren and siblings.