1956 saw the birth of Fuccillo in Greenport, Suffolk County, New York. After earning a marketing degree from Syracuse University in 1978, he worked at a number of auto shops. He went independent and started his own dealership in 1989. His catchphrase, “it’s HUGE!” is frequently repeated in his commercials. Over the years, the company expanded to over 25 dealerships in New York and Florida, selling a variety of brands.[3] Tom Park, Fuccillo’s production director and the straight man in many of the company’s commercials up until 2018, remarked that Fuccillo had originally improvised the line in response to the strong turnout to a sales event, and that the two liked it so much that they .[6]
After months of deteriorating health and battling a chronic illness, Fuccillo passed away in his Florida home on June 17, 2021. Park passed away nearly precisely one year later .[8]
In This Article...
What happened to the Fuccillo Kia employee?
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 on-air, but he also had a large heart.
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.
Fuccillo had a big heart and throughout the years donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Salvation Army and the Harry Chapin Food Bank, but he always appeared to be the one receiving rather than giving.
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.
When Fuccillo acquired Robert Goodman’s land and converted it into his Cape Coral Kia car dealership, the two became friends.
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 quickly established himself as a philanthropist by offering free homes and automobiles, as well as free gas days.
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.
I’d want to express my gratitude to Billy Fuccillo of Fuccillo Kia in Cape Coral. In the words of one customer, Sandra Hamblin George, “we had such nice recollections of our excursions to Europe and the Bahamas.” “Thank you, Billy; we’ll miss you.
The Cape Coral and Port Charlotte Fuccillo Kia dealerships were sold to LMP Automotive Holdings, a Delaware-based company, in late 2020.
Fuccillo’s funeral will be conducted in Syracuse, New York on June 24, and you can read his obituary here.
What disease did Billy Fuccillo suffer from?
Fuccillo’s passing was disclosed to members of the Syracuse Auto Dealers Association through email on Friday morning, according to WSTM.
Following a stroke, Fuccillo’s health had deteriorated during the previous year, and he sold the Ruane family his property in Cape Coral, Florida, for $2.25 million, according to the Fort Myers News-Press. At the time of his passing, he was a resident of Sarasota, Florida.
Two dealerships in southwest Florida, located in Port Charlotte and Cape Coral, were sold by Fuccillo last year to the publicly held LMP Automotive Holdings company, according to the newspaper. According to the Albany Times-Union, Fuccillo sold Matthews Auto Group three New York dealerships in the Syracuse area and two in the Rochester area in January 2021.
The advertisements Fuccillo was most famous for on television and radio always ended with a loud voice.
“In an interview with the Times Union in 2008, Fuccillo stated, “My mum says she mutes me when my advertisements come on.”
“William Fitzpatrick, the district attorney for Onondaga County, told WSTM that he was larger than life.
“Kim Perrella, vice president for Auto Shows and Member Relations at the Eastern New York Coalition of Automotive Retailers, Inc., told the Times-Union that he was a big man with a big personality.
Fitzpatrick claimed that Fuccillo, an enthusiastic golfer, attracted attention everywhere he went.
Every time I would play with him and he would make a shot, someone would exclaim, “That was HUGE!” and Billy would wave and smile, as if he were hearing it for the first time, Fitzpatrick told WSTM “Just a wonderful man.
Before earning a degree in marketing, Fuccillo played tight end for the football team at Syracuse University, according to the News-Press. According to the Times-Union, he claimed to be broke and on the verge of being kicked out of his flat after graduation.
Fuccillo told the newspaper, “The only job I could obtain was selling vehicles, and I discovered I was brilliant at it.
According to WKBW, Fuccillo was also renowned for his generosity. Fucillo Automotive provided hundreds of meals at a time to front-line staff at hospitals around Western New York during the COVID-19 outbreak.
People might have laughed at him, but Perrella told the Times-Union, “You know what? That man was one of the sharpest persons I have known because everyone knew his name.
According to the News-Press, Fuccillo organized a Styx performance on his Cape Coral lot in 2012 that attracted thousands of the band’s fans and resulted in the sale of dozens of vehicles.
When he sold 523 automobiles in a single day in 1996, Fuccillo claimed it was his best day as a dealer. According to the press, he invited Evil Knievel’s son Robbie to jump his motorcycle over 19 automobiles in front of the Adams Dealership.
What ever become of the enormous automobile salesman?
The person who adopted a HUGE! His on-air persona to promote fantastic discounts at his extensive network of auto shops is no longer alive.
Billy Fuccillo passed suddenly on Thursday in Sarasota, Florida, after a protracted illness, his attorney told news sites in the Syracuse area on Friday. He was 65.
After graduating from Syracuse University, Fuccillo, a native of Long Island, remained in the region and established a network of dealerships in his honor.
Everyone would recognize a Fuccillo advertisement as one, regardless of whether they liked it or found it irritating.
The man’s physical stature, his voice, his attitude, his drive, his inventory, and the offers he promised clients were just a few of the significant things about him and his company.
Fuccillo said to The Gazette in 2009 that the term originated with a casual remark made to Tom Park of Tom Park Media, who occasionally worked with him in advertisements.
“It all started when I just turned to Tom one day and said, “It’s massive, Tom. It’s huge,” according to Fuccillo.
The word is pronounced “yooge sometimes in the New York City metro area and “huge throughout most of America. He seemed to appreciate the spectacle.
“Huge was hype, but it was memorable and truthful hype: His dealerships generated a lot of business.
The largest privately owned auto retailer in New York and the largest Kia dealer in the world, according to Fuccillo’s obituary, is Fuccillo Automotive Group.
At his auto mall near Watertown, Fuccillo once sold 500 vehicles in a single day, setting records for the most Hyundai and Kia sales in a month.
With success and celebrity came significant income, and Fuccillo earned a reputation for giving as well.
In 2017, Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy presented Fuccillo with the city’s keys in appreciation for the positive economic and charitable impact he had made in the area. Other areas also received similar support.
Domestic abuse prevention, the Salvation Army, the Center for Disability Services, the Quest For Grace Foundation, and the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY were just a few of the many, many causes and organizations he sponsored.
He supplied hundreds of meals at a time to front-line medical staff at hospitals in western New York during the worst of the COVID pandemic.
What became of that big guy?
Billy Fuccillo established his first auto business in 1989. Many individuals had done it throughout the years, but it didn’t take Billy long to prove to the world that he was genuinely unique in the auto dealership industry. It didn’t take long for that one dealership to grow into a sizeable empire. It was VERY, VERY, LARGE. Billy would certainly say that.
More than 25 dealerships are currently owned by the Fuccillo Automotive Group in Florida and New York. In addition to selling cars, he has actually evolved into something of an icon. He has made numerous appearances in radio and television advertising, often quoting his catchphrase “It’s HUGE!” Billy, though, has reportedly been missing for months without explanation. What happened to Billy Fuccillo is a question that is starting to circulate.
Caroline returned 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.
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.
Did Fuccillo play football in college?
Billy Fuccillo, the charismatic owner of a New York-based car dealership who was well-known for his advertisements, passed away on Thursday in Sarasota, Florida. He was 65.
Fuccillo was made famous for using the word “massive” in exaggerated car advertising, but those who knew and loved him best remember him for his less well-known altruistic side.
Fuccillo laboriously and painstakingly grew a national car industry empire. The largest privately held auto retailer in the state and the largest Kia dealer in the world, the Fuccillo Automotive Group, was where he held the positions of president and chief executive officer.
Near Watertown, in Adams, the franchise got its start. He left behind aftershocks that reverberated in New York, where he had a profound effect. The neighborhood is becoming increasingly aware of his quiet manner away from the spotlight and his covert compassion.
For years, Fuccillo would begin his day at Tonys Family Restaurant, which was close to one of his Syracuse dealerships. The proprietor of Tony’s and Fuccillo’s friend, Tony Albanese, is aware of Fuccillo’s routine.
According to Albanese, “He would arrive around the same time I would.” “morning at seven. We would take a seat and chat for hours. Here, he met several of his friends. His marketing personnel were also present in the morning.”
Fuccillo is credited by Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick for being the first to significantly donate to the Forman Park-based Syracuse Police Memorial for Fallen Officers, which was established in 2002. He remembered Fuccillo as a very kind, humorous, and kind man.
“He helped so many people in the background without ever looking for recognition. He will be sorely missed, Fitzpatrick said.
The Sisters of St. Francis Assumption Food Pantry and the Ronald McDonald House were among the nonprofits that benefited from the generosity of the private philanthropist.
Billy Fuccillo was very kind. He contributed a lot to this neighborhood. His absence will be felt, “Member of the Syracuse Auto Dealers Association’s board Mike Romano spoke.
He was a great man “stated Albanese. “One day, as I’m sitting here, two men wheel in a TV that I received as a friendship gift from him. He was just a very kind man.
His absence will be felt in this community, “Albanese went on. “He and my brother and I were extremely close friends, and we will both miss him terribly.
The Thomas J. Pirro Junior Funeral Home in Liverpool will host a wake from 3 to 7 p.m. on June 24. On June 25, Our Lady of Pompeii Church in Syracuse will host a funeral Mass at 11 a.m.