The family has always built things.
Joseph Martin Fugett was born enslaved in Central Tennessee. He escaped during the Civil War, settled in Baldwinsville, New York, owned a blacksmith shop and a farm, and on December 4, 1888, received U.S. Patent No. 393,971 for a Road Cart with a spring suspension system designed to absorb horse motion.
"My invention relates to vehicles for the transportation of people... My object is to produce a road-cart free from horse motion."
Joseph M. Fugett, January 30, 1888
136 years later, his great-great-grandson is still identifying problems, still designing solutions, and still making the government document what gets built.
Fugett Labs is the family's innovation engine, deploying AI tools and applications for operators who need infrastructure, not just ideas.