Billy Fuccillo Sr., a longtime New York and Florida auto vendor identified for his “It is big!” promoting slogan and splashy advertising and marketing efforts, has died.
Fuccillo, CEO of Fuccillo Automotive Group, died Thursday at his dwelling in Sarasota, Fla., according to his obituary. He was 65.
“The whole Fuccillo household mourns the lack of Billy Fuccillo Sr.,” reads a Friday assertion on the Fuccillo Chevrolet Grand Island Facebook page. “Identified for his legendary generosity and larger-than-life persona, Billy was completely dedicated to the communities he served and to the individuals who knew him as a pal, a father, a husband and a colleague.”
Fuccillo was born in 1956 in Greenport, N.Y., and graduated from Syracuse College, the place he performed tight finish on the soccer crew from 1974 to 1978, in response to his obit.
Fuccillo acquired into auto retail after school. He landed a job in sales at a Chevrolet dealership in Buffalo, N.Y., and later purchased a wholesale automotive enterprise, in response to a report within the Fort Myers Information-Press in Florida.
He expanded his empire to effectively over 20 dealerships in New York and different states comparable to Nevada and Florida, which he entered in 2010, and he bought some shops alongside the best way, mentioned Bob Scalione, Fuccillo’s longtime lawyer in Syracuse, N.Y. Scalione declined to share a explanation for demise.
“I’ve all the time mentioned this about Billy — he was the one-of-a-kind,” Scalione mentioned. “He was an icon in his business. Billy would do issues that many automotive sellers would not take into consideration doing.”
A few of his concepts led to document gross sales. Fuccillo is claimed to have bought 2,020 automobiles in a month at his Fuccillo Hyundai of Syracuse dealership and 500 automobiles in sooner or later at Fuccillo Auto Mall in New York, in response to his obit.
In 1996, he hosted Robbie Knievel, son of motorbike daredevil Evel Knievel, to leap his motorbike over 19 automobiles at a dealership in Adams, N.Y. The promotion led to the sale of greater than 500 automobiles.
He provided freebies to clients shopping for a automotive from him — and never simply trinkets. The giveaways included cruises and even a home in a single promotion.
And in 2012, classic rockers Styx played a concert from a Fuccillo dealership parking lot in Cape Coral, Fla., attracting 1000’s, in response to the Fort Myers Information-Press.
“He was the very best self-promoter I’ve ever seen,” Barbara Rothschild, government vp of the Syracuse Auto Sellers Affiliation, advised Automotive Information.
Scalione mentioned Fuccillo was beneficiant and helped many individuals. Through the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, the dealership group donated meals to hospitals and important staff.
This yr, the Fuccillo group bought a number of shops, together with two Kia dealerships in Florida. LMP Automotive Holdings Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a publicly traded used-car retailer, car subscription enterprise and rising new-vehicle retailer, purchased the shops in Port Charlotte and Cape Coral for $68.5 million.
In January, Matthews Auto Group, of Vestal, N.Y., mentioned it had purchased five New York dealerships from the Fuccillo group: three within the Syracuse space and two within the Rochester space. These shops have been two Kia and two Hyundai shops and one Nissan dealership.
The Fuccillo group at the moment has 20 dealerships in New York and Florida, in response to its web site. Scalione mentioned a brand new Kia dealership is being in-built Clermont, Fla. Fuccillo’s son, Billy Jr., is president of the dealership group.
A funeral for Fuccillo, who’s survived by spouse Cynthia along with his son, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at Our Woman of Pompei/St. Peter Church in Syracuse.