Photographer / Kiera Brehm
EF Marburger Fine Flooring was founded in 1913 by Eli Franklin Marburger. At the time, he was working as a salesman in the flooring department at Blocks. One day he left for lunch, and the restaurant where he was dining asked him to measure for new flooring. When he returned a few minutes late, his boss told him the tardiness was unacceptable. Marburger explained he had been helping a potential customer, but his boss argued that Blocks didn’t need to go out looking for customers, saying, “let them come to us.”
The very next day, Marburger started his own company, determined to build a business on servicing the needs of customers.
That belief has carried the family company through more than a century of work. Marburger’s son Donald later stepped in, followed by grandson Ronald. Today, his great-granddaughters Kelly Marburger Novak and Kimberly Marburger lead the company, with Kelly as president and Kimberly as vice president. When she stepped into the role in 2018, Kelly became the company’s first female president and the fourth generation to guide the business. The fifth generation has already joined, with Kimberly’s son Connor serving as a project manager.
When Kelly and Kimberly took the reins in 2018, they honored the company’s legacy while updating its systems for the future.
“We were still using ledger books and did not have a centralized software system that integrated with accounting,” Kelly says.
She led the transition to an industry-specific platform that tracks financials, sales trends and performance.
“I was an expert in flooring, but not running a company,” she says. “This system assisted in analyzing financials, sales trends, salesperson performance and profitability.”
That balance of tradition and progress has helped EF Marburger thrive well past its centennial. The company has earned multiple awards of excellence from the Association of Builders and Contractors, and “Floor Covering Weekly” ranked EF Marburger among the top 75 flooring dealers in the United States
What has kept EF Marburger thriving for more than a century is no real secret at all. It comes down to listening, educating and treating every customer with care.
They say Ronald Marburger summed it up best: “If we listen to and educate our clients, provide them with the best possible product, at a fair price, and stay ahead of the future in technology and design, we will pave the way for the sixth generation to join this firm.”
Over the decades, EF Marburger has furnished and installed flooring for schools, hospitals, government buildings, athletic facilities, restaurants, hotels and homes across Indiana. The company’s portfolio includes some of the state’s most recognizable spaces such as Lucas Oil Stadium, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and the JW Marriott.
While flooring is the core, EF Marburger has also expanded into full kitchen and bath remodeling, offering cabinets and countertops along with hardwood, carpet, vinyl and tile.
Yet even with that growth, the mission has not changed.
They know every installation might not go perfectly, but their philosophy is simple. Fix it quickly, make it right and always put the client first. That commitment has been the common thread through four generations, and it remains the heart of the business.
The business has also stayed close to its community roots. EF Marburger sponsors local school athletics, band performances and theater productions in Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern.
They donate flooring to Habitat for Humanity and support classrooms and school farms. Kelly is also active in the Fishers Chamber of Commerce.
Now in its 112th year, EF Marburger remains proof that a simple idea can carry forward for generations — listen to the customer, do the work with care and treat people like family.
To contact EF Marburger Fine Flooring, visit their showroom at 9999 Allisonville Road in Fishers. You can reach them by phone at 317-825-7005 or online at efmarburger.com.
