In January 1940, Joseph A. Marino signed a contract to build a house on Soundview Avenue, in Norwalk, for the Grenede family. This was the beginning of Joseph A. Marino Contractors, Inc. Joseph educated himself by studying books on framing and estimating and by long days working as a carpenter for local firms, including working on the Palace Theater in Norwalk. After Joseph completed the eighth grade at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, he worked with his father for Norwalk's McMahon family. The company went on to build some of the finest homes in the area, concentrating on custom contract building, which it still does today. One of their noteworthy contracts was the residence of musician Dave Brubeck of Wilton.