Construction firm founder dies; company worked on the Big Dig

Lelio ''Les" Marino, who emigrated from Italy with $30 in his pocket and built a major construction firm that had begun to crumble in recent years, died early yesterday morning.

Mr. Marino, who lived in North Reading, had built a substantial empire -- a conglomerate of construction, real estate, restaurant, and farm interests -- and poured himself into his work, family, and health. He ate only organic food and spent nearly two hours a day lifting weights.

Still, his health had declined over the past year, and the 69-year-old underwent chemotherapy for stomach cancer and in August had open-heart surgery, said Matt Watkins, a spokesman for Mr. Marino's firm, Modern Continental Construction Co.

And in recent years, the $1.3 billion empire Mr. Marino built suffered a series of setbacks. Modern Continental, the largest contractor on the Big Dig, had been barred from bidding on major highway contracts because of delays in its work widening Route 3. This week, Modern Continental's work on the Big Dig came under new scrutiny with revelations about leaks in the tunnel walls. And in a merger intended to stave off bankruptcy, the firm's bonding companies recently hired competitor Jay Cashman Inc. to oversee Modern's projects to ensure they would be completed.

''I can't help but believe this was part of the problem that he had over the last year or so, and I was devastated to hear about his loss," said former Massachusetts Turnpike Authority chairman James J. Kerasiotes. ''He did something very extraordinary, and he had every reason to be proud of it, regardless of what happened down the stretch."

Many viewed Mr. Marino as the embodiment of the American dream. In 1967, he launched Modern Continental with a single $4,000 sidewalk repair contract. The company grew to employ 4,000, with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, South Carolina, and New York.

''I want to see if we can become the biggest company in the world," Mr. Marino once told the Globe. ''The only person that can stop it is me."

But observers said it was Mr. Marino's ambition that caused his business to suffer, as he spread himself thinner and his enterprise became unwieldy.

Modern Continental Construction was the largest construction company in New England, and Modern Continental Enterprises built houses across the country. Mr. Marino owned marinas in Scituate and on Commercial Wharf, four office buildings, most of Boston Harbor Cruises, and much of Paul Revere Transportation. At one point, he was among those who considered making a home for the Red Sox, on land he owned in Everett.

''His success created thousands of jobs and opportunities for working men and women across the country," said Kenneth Anderson, his business partner. ''His passion and dedication will be sorely missed by everyone he touched."

Mr. Marino also owned Marino Lookout Farm in South Natick, with a pick-your-own-fruit orchard, organic vegetable garden, and petting zoo featuring exotic animals like emus and llamas. Marino Ristorante in North Cambridge serves organic Italian dishes with food raised on the farm, and the Marino Center for Progressive Health, also in North Cambridge, offers homeopathy and acupuncture.

WCVB-TV midday co-anchor and consumer reporter Susan Wornick, who lives next to the farm, saw Mr. Marino walking his dog there and examining his crops five or six mornings a week.

''That's one of the only places in all of the Northeast to grow figs just like they do in Italy, with a passion and a love that I'll just never see again," said Wornick, who called him a ''decent, wonderful human being."

But Mr. Marino sometimes alienated other neighbors by building improvements without permits. His plans for a one-story, 100-seat restaurant with a small bar in Cambridge swelled to a two-level, two-bar, 150-seat structure. He famously built an unapproved 14th floor onto his Atlantic Avenue office building, exceeding waterfront height limits.

Mr. Marino was also said to be a challenging boss.

''There was an expectation that he had of you, and it was built on your individual performance," said Thomas P. O'Neill III, who at 16 worked as a rod man for Mr. Marino's surveying business. ''He knew what to expect, and if it wasn't there, he'd let you know it."

Likewise, O'Neill said, Mr. Marino took pride in his ventures.

''If he for a moment thought that Modern Continental were responsible for this, he would be ashamed," O'Neill said of the controversy over the Big Dig tunnel leaks. ''He just took too much pride in his own work."

Despite his penchant for working -- he woke between 3 and 4 a.m. and said he never took days off or vacations -- friends say he was devoted to his family.

Mr. Marino leaves his wife, Anna Maria (Lattanzi); two daughters, Laura and Lorraine; and three grandchildren. A funeral Mass will be said at 10:30 a.m. Monday in St. Theresa Church in North Reading.