History

While Klemmt Orthopaedic Services was founded in 1965 in Binghamton, New York, the company’s true history began in the 1950s in Germany where Fritz Klemmt began practicing orthotics. Fritz met the director of the O&P department at New York University (NYU), who offered assistance to any practitioner wanting to move to the United States to work. Post-World War II quotas made it difficult for the Klemmt family to move to the US. But after a few years living in Canada, Fritz, his wife Lucia, and two children made the move to Binghamton.

Lucia Klemmt Nezelek, CO(E), worked with her husband in the family business in addition to raising their children and volunteering in the community. In 1975, she began studying to earn her orthotic certification, in addition to managing her family and civic duties. In 1979, after studying orthotics at NYU and Northwestern University, Lucia earned her ABC certification in orthotics. She became a certified pedorthist that year as well.

Through the next several decades, Lucia continued her work in O&P, despite the challenges of being a woman in a male dominated field. In addition the family practice, Lucia served as an examiner in the orthotics certification programs at NYU and University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). She was also a member of the O&P Auxiliary and fundraiser for the Academy and the O&P PAC.

Both of her children worked in the family business over the years. Daughter, Marion assisted with office administration for 36 years, while her son Marcus became a certified prosthetist-orthotist and now owns the family business.