William N. Barkeley, 16, Working with Renowned Architect on Prototype for Next Generation Footwear

May 20, 2011 - PRLog -- Washington, DC – Shonika Proctor, international thought leader on teens in entrepreneurship and innovation, announced today that William Barkeley, a 16 year old industrial designer and inventor, is entering the final stages of rapid prototyping for a performance shoe he is patenting. He will be working with legendary architect and designer, Marshall Purnell, to finalize the manufacturing ready design of his footwear.

Barkeley, a junior at Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids, MI, made an obvious but long overlooked discovery for his footwear technology through his experience while playing sports.

"Footwear style evolves almost daily, but its function hasn't changed, says William N. Barkeley, Founder of Spat Footwear. I have developed a pioneering technology that can and will transfer to all types of footwear, bringing stability, comfort, and style together into one complete package.”

As Barkeley works through hundreds of design sketches that he has created, he will have the honor to work on this phase of his project with nationally renowned architect, Marshall Purnell, co-founder of Washington, DC based architectural firm, Devrouax & Purnell Architects (www.dp-architects.com). More than 10 million people have walked through buildings designed by Purnell and he has been the lead designer on some of DC’s most recognized buildings including the ‘new’ DC Convention Center and the Washington Nationals Baseball Park.

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About Spat Footwear: Spat Footwear (www.spatwear.com) was founded in May 2011 by Grand Rapids, MI native, William Barkeley, 16. Spat Footwear is revolutionizing the footwear industry with its next generation technology that improves both the functionality and stability of the shoe.

About Renegade CEO's: (Teen) Renegade CEO's refers to a global virtual incubator, a culture, a movement, and an un'company for TEEN entrepreneurs, creatives, inventors, activists and thought leaders. They have written & published books, designed & manufactured products, franchised businesses; and built companies from scratch to $10,000+/mo revenues. Renegade CEO's move more than $1 million USD through the global economy annually. www.TeenEntrepreneurBlog.com