Milford, CT-based FCP Euro has been recognized by Hartford Business Journal with the publication’s “2022 Family Business Award,” in the category of a company with more than 200 employees.

Each year, The Journal awards a select few businesses that stand out within the community. This year, FCP Euro was recognized for its commitment to the community and its employees.

FCP Euro was founded in 2001 after President and Founder, Nick Bauer, started selling items online from his parent’s brick-and-mortar auto parts business. The original store, Foreign Car Parts of Groton Inc, was where Nick, alongside his longtime friend Scott Drozd, developed their skills that took a small room full of auto parts listed on eBay into an e-commerce staple in the European automotive community. 

“Growing up in a family business is all I have ever known, as my beginnings in the company go back to my teenage years with my parents,” said Bauer, “As FCP Euro has continued to expand, that ‘family’ dynamic is something that Scott (FCP Euro CEO) and I have worked extremely hard to maintain.” 

Supporting Volvo and BMW owners was a way of life for the Bauer family, and while the list of supported automotive manufacturers has grown, the family involvement has stayed constant. Working alongside Nick is his brother, Ben, who serves as the director of Inventory & Reverse Logistics, along with Brian Tucker, Nick’s Uncle, who works as a fulfillment associate.

The transition to online parts sales in 2001 catapulted the newly formed company into the e-commerce business, with the Milford-based company simultaneously achieving a consecutive three-year revenue growth rate of 255% in 2021 and expansion from 94 to 228 Connecticut employees. Supporting that growth was their reinvestment into their employees and a carefully curated set of core values that allowed them to prosper. Those guidelines, such as “People Before Profits” and “Serve Before You Sell,” are rooted in the companies’ small beginnings and continue to influence their day-to-day operations. 

As those values have endured, winning this award carries great significance for Bauer. “To be recognized by The Hartford Business Journal is a huge honor and validation that we are remaining true to the soul of the company my parents started,” he commented.

FCP Euro continues to make investments in its people. In 2021, the company launched a Corporate Social Responsibility program and brought on a company Wellness Manager, whose focus is enhancing the company culture and the well-being of its employees. Diversity, equity, and inclusion training and wellness campaigns ensure that current and future employees are understood from all contexts and have the resources available. “[They] are a very unique company for our size/industry/scale specifically for how they develop and give back to their employees,” said Mental Health Connecticut, another award-winning partner in FCP Euro’s pursuit of mental healthcare. Like WellSpark, MHC has teamed up with FCP Euro to ensure employees have the treatment and care they need at a moment’s notice.

Along with investing in its employees, FCP Euro ensures they contribute to the surrounding Milford community and national organizations. Many of the 228 employees based at the Milford headquarters reside in the adjacent communities. Donations and volunteerism with the Boys & Girls Village and CT Foodshare are regular events for every employee, from the newly hired to the company’s founders, Nick and Scott. Moreover, FCP Euro runs bi-yearly events that give back to larger organizations like PenFed during Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day weekends.

To learn more about FCP Euro’s community outreach and how you can get involved, visit cares.fcpeuro.com.