Industry & Academia Working Together to Drive Innovation

Join Mike Graen as he sits down with Dr. Bill Hardgrave, President at The University of Memphis, to discuss the power of the partnership between industry and academia working together to drive innovation in the retail industry.

About Dr. Bill Hardgrave (linkedin.com/in/bill-hardgrave-7561a821)
On April 1, 2022, Bill Hardgrave began serving as the 13th President of the University of Memphis. Previously, Dr. Hardgrave served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Auburn University. Dr. Hardgrave joined Auburn University in August 2010 when he was appointed Dean and Wells Fargo Professor in the Harbert College of Business and served in that position until he became Provost in 2018. Dr. Hardgrave previously held the Bradberry Chair in Information Systems in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas, and served as the executive director of the Information Technology Research Institute.

Dr. Hardgrave is an accomplished scholar and is considered a thought leader in the field of RFID; specifically, its use and deployment in global supply chains. He has worked with numerous companies such as Walmart, Macy’s, JCPenney, Dillard’s, and Motorola on a variety of RFID projects. In recognition for his contributions, Bill has received the Ted Williams Award from AIM Global as the most influential researcher in the field of RFID and the Special Achievement award from RFID Journal for his overall impact on the field. He is a highly sought after speaker – delivering almost 200 invited talks across the globe to a total audience in excess of 35,000.

Dr. Hardgrave has published several books and authored more than 85 articles in leading journals such as MIS Quarterly, Production & Operations Management, Journal of Management Information Systems, and the European Journal of Information Systems. Dr. Hardgrave’s research has been cited in the Wall Street Journal, CNN, BusinessWeek, and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, among others.

Dr. Hardgrave received his Ph.D. in management information systems from Oklahoma State University in 1993.

About Mike Graen (linkedin.com/in/michael-graen-1732604)
With 40 years of experience working for Procter & Gamble, Walmart, and CROSSMARK, Mike Graen has seen the retail industry from every conceivable angle. From helping develop what would become Retail Link to investigating and leveraging the potential of shelf-scanning robots and RFID tech in stores, Graen has made a career out of using technology to solve business problems.

Series Sponsors
The On-Shelf Availability Series is presented by the Department of Supply Chain Management at the University of Arkansas, and proudly sponsored by:

• Badger Technologies (https://www.badger-technologies.com)
• Barcoding, Inc. (https://www.barcoding.com)
• bops (https://bops.ai)
• Brain Corp (https://www.braincorp.com)
• Retail Insight (https://www.retailinsight.io)
• SES-imagotag (https://www.ses-imagotag.com)
• Trax Retail (https://traxretail.com)
• Wiliot (https://www.wiliot.com)

Conversations On Retail

Conversations On Retail is a gathering place and resource center for retail and CPG executives, built to make it easier to stay current, discover the technologies and solutions shaping the industry, and connect with the people driving it forward.

We publish news, views, and reviews from staff editors, contributing experts, and trusted partners. Some articles are developed internally, while others are submitted by industry contributors or adapted from interviews and recorded conversations with industry leaders.