CT Navy Veteran to Develop Prototype Kiosks to Solve Small Business Problems

CONNECTICUT JULY 2026 – US NAVY Petty Officer First Class Patrick Hughes of Stratford, CT served aboard various naval superships as an aviation technician.   After many deployments including support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Petty Officer 1C Hughes returned to civilian life bearing 100% service-connected disabilities.  He reset his goals and used his experience in logistics and systems management to develop software solutions for the marine industry.

Recently, Work Vessels for Vets awarded electronics equipment sufficient to build 3 prototype kiosks for use in marine dealerships, including hardware for prototype kiosks to complete deployment and field testing of a privacy-focused marine dealership kiosk system that is ready for live use. The requested equipment includes commercial-grade touchscreen displays, small form factor PCs with compatible graphics capability, battery backups, and the internal components required to assemble complete kiosk units. The enclosures will be designed and built in-house.

“My system addresses a gap in how marine dealerships handle showroom engagement, product browsing, and customer interaction. Current approaches rely heavily on staff availability or generic digital tools that do not align with dealership operations. This kiosk provides a structured, guided interface that supports staff while improving customer access to information directly on the showroom floor,” states a grateful Hughes.