While RFID was certainly not a new concept in 2003, the announcement that June that Wal-Mart wanted its 100 largest suppliers to start implementing RFID tags on pallets served notice that the technology was about to take the next step. From the perspective of Wal-Mart’s suppliers, there were quite a few drawbacks to the RFID initiative. For one, industry knowledge about RFID was a mixed bag, as many companies were not familiar with the technology. Second, there were plenty of companies supplying RFID technology, but there was no independent source that could analyze effectiveness and filter out what actually worked. Fortunately, the University of Arkansas, Wal-Mart’s neighbor, took an interest in RFID. The University formed the RFID Research Center, a sub-unit of the Information Technology Research Institute (ITRI) at the University's Sam M. Walton College of Business. Dr. Bill Hardgrave, holder of the Edwin and Karlee Bradberry Chair, became the director