- Avia (shoes)
Avia [http://avia.com/] is an American shoe company founded by American entrepreneur Jerry Stubblefield in Oregon, in 1979.Fact|date=March 2007 Stubblefield reportedly came up with the word "avia" (derived from the Latin term meaning "to fly") while on a jet flight, and decided to use it as a brand name for a sports shoe to suggest aviation.Fact|date=March 2007
History
Jerry Stubblefield and his son Don Stubblefield, an engineering graduate from Stanford, developed shoe designs that revolutionized athletic footwear.Fact|date=March 2007 The father-and-son tandem created designs such as the widely-imitated cantilever sole,Fact|date=March 2007 which helped make Avia an industry leader. In 1987, Avia was acquired by Reebok, who later sold the Avia brand to the American Sporting Goods Corporation in the mid-to-late 1990s." [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D04E2D61F39F937A15757C0A960958260 AMERICAN SPORTING GOODS TO ACQUIRE AVIA BRAND] " (24/04/96), NY Times archive. Retrieved on 26/03/07.]
Avia's present Sales Manager is former long-distance runner
David Edge , who represented Canada at two consecutive Summer Olympics in the men's marathon.Fact|date=March 2007Products
Avia was known as a leading brand in the 80s for its line of women's walking and aerobics shoes, as well as men's shoes. In the late 80s and early 90s, Avia had a thriving line of basketball shoes; among those who wore Avia were
Scottie Pippen ,John Stockton , andClyde Drexler .Fact|date=March 2007 Avia shoes are well-known for their performance, durability and comfort.Who|date=July 2007The company is also known for some of the performance technologies built into their shoes, including the Cantilever Heel (heel support), the Anatomical Cradle (comprehensive foot cushioning and arch support), and Avia's FOM technology (shock compression).Fact|date=March 2007
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
