Tom Devlin, CEO and chairman of Devlin Enterprises, has been named Entrepreneur in Residence by Wichita State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship. He will give a lecture, which is free and open to the public, at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, in 107 Devlin Hall. Devlin will also speak to Wichita-area business people at an invitation-only luncheon.

The Entrepreneur in Residence lecture is part of the James P. Schwartz Memorial Lecture series, sponsored by WSU’s nationally ranked Center for Entrepreneurship. The invited speaker is either a nationally recognized entrepreneur who founded or owns a major company or a prominent executive of a national corporation.

Former Entrepreneurs in Residence include Charles Koch, chairman of the board and CEO, Koch Industries Inc.; Fred Smith, founder and CEO, Federal Express; Frank Carney, co-founder of Pizza Hut; R. David Thomas, founder and senior chairman of the board, Wendy's International; and Mike Oatman, president and CEO of Great Empire Broadcasting.

In addition to being recognized as the EIR, Devlin’s entrepreneurial success story has been written in a new book, “Playing Through,” which is part of the center’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Series. The 152-page autobiography details his rags-to-riches story and includes management tips, such as how to deal with competition, how to select a board and how to be an effective CEO. The book will be unveiled at the noon luncheon Sept. 10 at the Wichita Art Museum.

Devlin is currently the CEO and chairman of Devlin Enterprises, a Wichita-based investment holding company. He is also the developer and owner of Flint Hills National Golf Club. In 1973 at the age of 25, Devlin founded Rent-A-Center, a rent-to-own electronics, appliance and furniture operation. He sold the national retail chain to Thorn EMI in 1987 for 594 million. A longtime supporter of Wichita State, Tom and his wife Myra contributed $1 million in 1990 to the building of Devlin Hall, home of the Center for Entrepreneurship.

“Playing Through” is authored by Scott Dalrymple, an assistant professor of management at Harwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., and Randy Scholfield, an editorial writer and columnist for The Wichita Eagle. Retail price of the book will be $19.95 and may be purchased at local bookstores or by contacting the Center for Entrepreneurship at (316) 978-3000.