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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Howard Behar, the founding president of Starbucks International, will give a free public lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at Oregon State University, where he will speak about putting people first in a consumer-oriented business.

Part of the College of Business' Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series, the event begins at 7 p.m. in the Austin Auditorium of LaSells Stewart Center, 875 S.W. 26th St., Corvallis.

Behar's talk, "It's Not about the Coffee: Lessons on Putting People First from a Life at Starbucks," will address how he helped created the Starbucks brand and culture, which he says stresses the importance of people over profits. He will share his 10 principles that guided his leadership and success.

Behar recently retired from Starbucks after 21 years where he led both the domestic business, as president of North America operations, and was the founding president of Starbucks International. During his tenure, he participated in the growth of the company from only 28 stores to more than 15,000 stores spanning five continents.

Author of a book on leadership titled, "It's Not About the Coffee," Behar serves on several boards of for-profit and non-profit organizations.

A resident of Mercer Island, Wash., Behar enjoys spending time with his wife Lynn, his children and his five grandchildren.