Magargee Brothers Painters Still Around After Mergering With Nolan Painting

Dave and Len Magargee have been known as painters in Chestnut Hill for quite some time. Their company, Magargee Brothers, Inc., was founded by their father in 1932.

The company has seen some changes in the last few months, however, as they merged with Nolan Painting, of Havertown. ’s Chief Financial Officer Steve Nafranowicz, said that the move was beneficial to both companies.

“I know they have a very good name in Chestnut Hill. It’s all just residential, we paint homes; most of the work has been done in Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy, Lafayette Hill and that area. Most of our work is out on the Main Line,” Nafranowicz said.

When the Magargees began planning for retirement, they knew they wanted to merge with another company, as their children had chosen other career paths. Len Megargee and Kevin Nolan, owner of Nolan Painting, have known each other for a long time, so the merger turned out to be the perfect fit.

“Len was a mentor for Kevin, back in the ‘80 and ‘90s. Kevin looked up to Len and his business as the kind of business that he would like to have. When it came time for them, they didn’t want to close up their shop and wanted to find a way to keep serving clients and have a place for their employees to go,” Nafranowicz said.

Since the merger in March, Dave and Len Magargee have been working with Nolan, still under the name of Margargee Brothers, serving Chestnut Hill and the surrounding neighborhoods. The brothers work as estimators, and keep regular appointments with the clientele that they have served during their careers.

Their administrator, Emily Garvey, is the familiar voice who still answers the phones after more than 40 years with the company. Another five or six field employees came over with the merger, as well, Nafranowicz said.

Nolan Painting is a Havertown-based company that started in 1979 and has grown to 70 employees, counting the new additions from Magargee Brothers.

“Magargee Brothers was my role model when I started in business over 30 years ago,” Kevin Nolan said in a press release. “I am so pleased to join forces with them. This is a great merger between the two finest painting companies in the Philadelphia region.”

As for the brothers themselves, they are still working, Dave as full-time, Len as part-time, and will stay with the company for several years. The Magargee Brothers name will live on beyond that, as Nolan plans to keep the company name and phone number in tact for years to come.