Billy Fuccillo’s booming voice can be heard on the radio, on television, or on the lot if you live in Southwest Florida or close to one of his other dealerships.
According to his dealership, Fuccillo, 65, passed away on Friday, June 18, following months of deteriorating health.
It’s going to be huuuuuge! was Fuccillo’s catchphrase. he has a great heart as well. on-air.
Along with running the Fuccillo Automotive Group, he frequently gave to charity, including $100,000 in 2019 for the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida to help fight local hunger.
Every time Fuccillo gave a gift, he appeared to be the recipient rather than the giver. Fuccillo was quite compassionate. Over the years, he donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to both the Salvation Army and the Harry Chapin Food Bank.
Billy had a reputation for unexpectedly calling and stating, “Hey, I’ve got something for you. And as a result of that, Richard LeBer, CEO of the Harry Chapin Food Bank, stated, “You know, he fed many thousands of people in Southwest Florida.” “I believe that the word “big” will simply become part of everyday speech for a very long time to come.
Fuccillo knew Robert Goodman as a buddy. When Fuccillo converted Goodman’s land into his Cape Coral Kia vehicle business, the two came into contact.
He was anxious about it, according to Goodman. “He phoned me Bobby, Bobby, and he said, ‘This doesn’t work, I need you to purchase it back from me, I want to, I want to get a money-back guarantee, and I was so convinced that it would work.'”
Fuccillo became a philanthropist quite quickly. He began giving away free homes and automobiles. Free gas day was also observed.
According to Goodman, “He was you know, he had this presence on TV. “But when you got to know him, he was really, you know, a humble man.
Sandra Hamblin George, a customer, stated, “I want to thank Billy Fuccillo from Fuccillo Kia of Cape Coral. We had such lovely memories of our trips to Europe and the Bahamas. ” Billy, you are appreciated and will be missed.
The Cape Coral and Port Charlotte Fuccillo Kia dealerships were sold to LMP Automotive Holdings, a Delaware-based company, in late 2020.
Visit this link to view Fuccillo’s obituary. On June 24, his funeral will take place in Syracuse, New York.
In This Article...
What is going on with Billy Fuccillo?
New York’s WATERTOWN (WWNY) – Billy Fuccillo, who became famous in the congested world of auto dealerships for his catchphrase “It’s going to be huuuuge,” has passed away.
Numerous media sites Friday morning announced Fuccillo’s death. Fuccillo passed away at his home in Florida after months of deteriorating health, according to CNY Central in Syracuse.
Fuccillo reportedly had more than 25 dealerships at his height, mostly in New York and Florida. This included a sizable business in Adams called the “Fuccillo Automotive Group.” According to CNY Central, he just sold five properties in Rochester and Syracuse.
He was a wonderful man. I believe that many people who only saw his advertisements did not come to know him in the same way that those of us who lived in the region did. Bob Simpson from the Adams Fire Department remarked, “You know, he was a part of the community.
According to Simpson, Fuccillo made significant contributions to the South Jefferson Central School athletic department as well as the fire department and other neighborhood organizations.
According to a biography on Wikipedia, Fuccillo was born in 1957 in Suffolk County. In 1978, he received his degree from Syracuse University.
According to CNY Central, he is survived by his wife Cindy and son Billy Fuccillo Jr. Details of the funeral are still being withheld.
What happened to Fuccillo The Huge Guy, the car dealership?
Billy Fuccillo had passed away. For years, Upstate New York and Florida residents heard his signature “It’s going to be Huuuuuuuuuuggge” at the end of his auto dealership advertisements. CNY Central has learned of his passing following a protracted illness. Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick described Fuccillo as “larger than life.”
campaign of “massive” discounts, was led by Fuccillo, who also served as president and COO. According to the company’s website, it has 21 dealerships in Florida and New York. The company, based in Syracuse, declined to comment.
Fuccillo is a Long Island native who graduated from Syracuse University and was an All-American football player. After graduating, Fuccillo started selling automobiles and discovered he was really excellent at it, according to an Albany Times-Union article.
According to the newspaper, he acquired his first wholesale auto business in 1981 and his first new store in Adams, which is close to Watertown, in 1989.
According to his obituary, Fuccillo was immensely pleased of selling 500 vehicles in a single day at the Fuccillo AutoMall in Jefferson County and 2020 vehicles in a single month at Fuccillo Hyundai of Syracuse.
Fuccillo, who was a philanthropist as well, was best known for his radio and television advertisements, where he claimed his catchphrase, “It’s going to be huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge.”
Fuccillo was a sports fanatic and racehorse owner who also enjoyed golfing, fine dining, and wine.
Fuccillo received $2.25 million for the sale of his estate in Cape Coral, Florida, last year. Additionally, he recently sold a number of dealerships, including two Fuccillo Kia dealerships in Florida in March and five New York dealerships, including two in Greece, in January. He quit making advertisements last year because his health had gotten worse over the previous 12 months.
His wife Cindy and son Billy Jr., the current head of the Fuccillo Automotive Group, are his only surviving family members. His parents, siblings, and other family
Caroline Renfro left Fuccillo Kia for what reasons?
The two made Renfro’s return official on Saturday with an all-day “Welcome Back party” with food and live jazz music that attracted hundreds to the Cape Coral shop.
Before the two showed in, dozens of salespeople in red polo shirts circulated the tables for several hours.
For eight years, Renfro was Fuccillo’s pitch partner, helping to record commercials, sell automobiles, and eventually emerge as one of the brand’s faces. But she left in the latter part of 2017.
The parting was cordial yet a little hasty. Initially, Fuccillo claimed Renfro went for Spain in order to join a nun in Virginia, but subsequently he claimed he was unaware of her reasons for leaving. The reason Renfro departed the country, she claimed on Saturday, was to “go out and kind of go places that I hadn’t been.
While she was away, the two kept in touch by texting each other and speaking once a month, according to Fuccillo. Renfro later returned to the United States where she spent time with her folks hiking in western North Carolina.
I returned to Spain on my own, but once he learned that I had done so, we began to discuss making some advertisements in what I initially took to be lighthearted conversation, Renfro recalled.
But after that, he said, “No, let’s do it.”
Immediately after Renfro had left, Fuccillo conducted a nationwide hunt for the “next Caroline,” a model for his ads. Soon, Portland, Oregon-based model and TV newscaster McKinzie Roth was chosen. Roth will now serve as a sales representative for a Nissan dealership run by Fuccillo’s son in both Tampa and Jacksonville.
The seasoned team wasted no time in beginning the Saturday’s batch of advertising. As soon as they entered the building, a group of about a dozen people flanked them in an effort to gain a live view of the upcoming advertisement.
A fan of the commercials named Kay Rihn traveled from Englewood to Cape Coral to speak with Fuccillo. After Renfro left, Rihn called the dealership incensed more than a year ago.
However, when she discovered Caroline had departed on her own initiative and subsequently learned she would be returning, she made the hour-long drive to apologize to Fuccillo in person.
In Port Charlotte, Fuccillo and Renfro intend to host a similar “Welcome back event” on Sunday. At this event, they will welcome attendees and take additional live advertisements.
“There’s no pretend (with Caroline). You will receive what you see, and receive that which you see. She is able to connect with people, just like I can, Fuccillo remarked. We sort of fit the same mold. We just disagree on one thing: I prefer roses and mints on my pillow at night, whereas she is content to sleep in a tent in the mountains. The only aspect of us that differs is that.
But because we’re just average folks, we can relate to people because we’re so people-oriented.
Billy Fuccillo’s method?
Tamp, Florida
According to numerous sources, renowned auto salesman Billy Fuccillo, whose watchword was “big,” passed away at his Florida home.
According to CNY Central, Fuccillo’s death, which apparently occurred after a protracted illness, was verified by the Syracuse Auto Dealers Association.
His Syracuse-based Fuccillo Automotive Group, which also has sites in Florida, is said to be the biggest privately-owned dealership in New York State, according to the Times-Union. Additionally, Fuccillo had auto stores in Grand Island.
Fuccillo had a reputation for being a philanthropist in addition to running auto businesses. Fuccillo Automotive provided hundreds of meals at a time to front-line staff at hospitals around Western New York during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Billy Fuccillo Jr., his wife Cindy, and the 64-year-old man who formerly played football at Syracuse University are his only surviving family members.
Fuccillo sold his dealerships, right?
Darwish, a former platform manager for Napleton Automotive Group and a minority investor in a New Jersey Audi dealership, claimed that after signing a contract with Fuccillo in August 2020, he experienced a number of delays. Because to COVID-19, his law firm had to close, and Darwish became ill.
Darwish claimed he spent two months on oxygen but made a full recovery. Billy Fuccillo Sr., the CEO of Fuccillo Automotive, passed away in June 2021.
Darwish claimed that over those 20 months, he slept very little as he tried to finalize the agreement by meeting with numerous manufacturers and banks.
He currently employs more than 400 individuals, all “extremely good employees,” according to Darwish.
The crew that came with this contract, he remarked, “is outstanding.” The squad is outstanding as a whole.
Prior to a year or two ago, the Fuccillo Automotive Group owned more than 20 dealerships, but it has since sold many of those locations. Early in 2021, the company sold Matthews Auto Group five dealerships in New York. Then, in March 2021, it sold LMP Automotive Holdings Inc. two Kia dealerships in Florida. It gave Morgan Automotive Group a Nissan dealership in Clearwater, Florida, in August of last year.
Around the time of the Darwish acquisition, Fuccillo Chevrolet-Buick at the Auto Mall in Adams and Fuccillo Chevrolet of Nelliston both closed their doors in New York. The franchises were canceled in late April and early May, according to a GM representative. Darwish bought the land for both locations as part of his deal.
He hopes to apply to revive the Chevrolet store in Adams and plans to use the locations as used-car dealerships.
Since he was 21, Darwish, 50, who claimed to be a college dropout, has dreamed to run a vehicle shop.
He said, “I gave everything to get here. “I put everything at stake to get here.”
He also wants more. Darwish stated that he plans to start searching for additional dealerships before the end of the year in order to expand his current collection of 90+ locations.
According to Darwish, Bob Morris of the Columbus, Ohio-based buy-sell firm Tim Lamb Group handled the seller in the deal.
Caroline went back to Fuccillo Kia, but why?
Back in 2017, she left her position. Then Billy Fuccillo sponsored a competition to choose Caroline’s replacement, and McKinzie Roth won. Billy claimed Caroline called him and requested to return.
Who is the owner of Fuccillo Kia?
Prior to leaving her position in November 2017, Caroline Renfro sold vehicles for Fuccillo Kia for eight years through radio ads, TV commercials, and direct mail. She has since returned to the company in 2019.
Billy Fuccillo, a loudmouthed and “The Cape Coral Fuccillo Kia car dealership’s huge! pitchman, who has been in charge of it since 2011, hasn’t been on broadcast this year.
His employer refused to comment on whether he is stepping down to let his son with the same name to take on a larger leadership position or it is for health reasons (the story that he suffered a significant medical blow late last year is one I cannot confirm).
Fuccillo currently has 23 dealerships in New York, three in Florida, and four more are being built close to Orlando. Over the previous few weeks, I made several attempts to contact the general managers of Cape Coral, Port Charlotte, Clearwater, and four dealerships in New York in an effort to get some answers. They all ignored my calls and emails.
I recently tried to contact the general manager at the Cape Coral dealership. He was too busy, I was told, so I walked away. Nobody else in the room had the right to speak.
I received emails from the Clearwater online sales manager. She claimed to have forwarded Billy Fuccillo Jr. my numerous messages. I tried to get in touch with him for weeks to find out what had happened to his father, but I never heard from him.
Fuccillo Sr., who often responds to my texts, hasn’t gotten back to me since October 11, when I last met him while reporting about land next to his Cape Coral store that Sam Galloway Ford owns but isn’t currently developing.
Between that time and the beginning of 2020, Fuccillo stopped making the commercials. He generally shoots enough material in a single day to fill at least a month. Ad libs are used by him and his team.
Caroline Renfro, the sidekick, has continued to show up in advertisements ever since. Thaddeus Bullard joined her a month ago.
Bullard, who participated in football at the University of Florida and with the Florida Firecats of the minor league in Estero in the early 2000s, has since gained notoriety as “WWE star Titus O’Neil. He’s a Tampa resident.
I tried calling Kia’s south regional manager and sent an email to the company’s corporate communications department. When I wrote in 2017 about how Fuccillo Kia had changed the vehicles we drive in Southwest Florida, Kia corporate had a lot to say about it. The Cape Coral store was recognized by Kia Corporate as the best-selling Kia dealership worldwide.
In response to your inquiry regarding Fuccillo’s disappearance from the public eye, James Bell, director of corporate communications for Kia, wrote: “We (Kia Motors America) do not have a perspective to share on your question.”
As you are aware, Kia Motors America does not hire our dealers; rather, they are franchised members of our company. Hope that was useful.
A Catch-22 has always existed while writing about Fuccillo. The articles frequently receive a lot of readers and comments on social media, some of which condemn Fuccillo’s boisterous demeanor and others of which accuse me of giving him gratuitous exposure. Others add their appreciation or other displays of support.
I did sense some journalistic value because Fuccillo has been such a magnet for attention.
Gary Kuzmits, a newspaper reader from Naples, contacted me a few months ago to inquire about Fuccillo. I assured him that I would do everything in my power to respond. That this is the best I can do right now makes me sad.
Kuzmits said of Fuccillo’s TV appearances, “For me personally, I get a kick out of it.
You heard him on the radio or saw him on TV every time you turned around. I have not heard or seen him for several months. It seems as though he vanished.