#billy fuccillo

You know him for his "huge" car sales,but Fuccillo Automotive Group owner Billy Fuccillo is known to one Florida war veteran as something of a savior. Gordon Page, an 85-year-old Korean War Veteran, made news last week when his home where he and his wife care for three other vets was flooded, WIVB-TV reported. Fuccillo saw the story, felt a connection to Page, and decided to help by pledging to pay for almost all of the repairs required. "My dad's 92 now, so I know a little about what went on way back, especially with war veterans," Fuccillo told WFLA-TV in Florida, where he owns several dealerships. In total, Fuccillo, wrote a check for $30,000. $25,000 of that came out of his own pocket, and $5,000 came from donations by Fuccillo employees. "Before you put your head on the pillow at night, it's always good to make sure you do the right thing for people," Fuccillo said. "The Lord has blessed me. I say my prayers every night. He's letting me live a dream." Fuccillo presented the check to Susan Draves earlier this week at his dealership in Wesley Chapel. Draves is helping coordinate the donations and repair work at Page's home. "It's amazing that he was so generous and so thoughtful and really cares," said Draves, who also thanked Fuccillo's employees. The bill is nearly $15,000 so far, but a number of people have turned out to offer money, services, furniture and other donations. Draves set up a GoFundMeaccount where anyone can donate. Page and his wife are overwhelmed and grateful towards Fuccillo and everyone else who has supported them since the flood. "We cry. We cry," Page told WFLA. "To have a stranger to help, is wonderful."

Xavier Villarreal, who helped build Fuccillo Kia in Cape Coral into the world’s bestselling Kia dealership, said he mutually parted ways with owner Billy Fuccillo.

Villarreal, 36 and until July 1 the only general manager at Fuccillo Kia, is three weeks into his search for a new job. The 2000 Fort Myers High School graduate is pursuing multiple car dealership opportunities in Southwest Florida, around the state, and across the country. He was traveling to Los Angeles for job interviews Thursday.

“The hardest part wasn’t leaving Billy,” said Villarreal, who had been in the role since the dealership opened in December 2010 off Pine Island Road. “It was leaving my staff. That really was the hardest part.”

Villarreal said Fuccillo recently had promoted him, but the promotion did not include their agreed-upon pay raise, Villareal said. Fuccillo could not be reached for comment.

Fuccillo Kia announced Carl Rosciti as the new general manager. He declined to comment.

“The bottom line is, he couldn’t afford to pay me anymore,” Villarreal said of Fuccillo. “We had agreed on a certain amount. Unfortunately, that didn’t pan out.

“I’m very grateful for Mr. Fuccillo and the company and the opportunities they have given me. I’ve built a reputation for taking care of my staff and selling a lot of cars. It’s opened up a lot of doors. It was just time. It was time for me to go.”

Villarreal, a high school football standout at Fort Myers, was inducted into the school’s football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Car dealership owner Billy Fuccillo is in a “huge” trademark dispute with a competitor.

Fuccillo, known for his advertisements across the Tampa Bay area, is suing Trent Silver in federal court, alleging that he engaged in "cyberpiracy" when Silver registered the domain "billyfuccillo.com" on Go.Daddy.com and used it to redirect customers to the Century Kia website.

Silver's use of the domain name was "willful, deliberate and in bad faith," according to the lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida, Tampa division. Fuccillo, who owns Fuccillo Automotive Group, operates Fuccillo Kia in Wesley Chapel while his rival, Century Kia, is only 10 miles away, the lawsuit said.

In his lawsuit, Fuccillo said the battle has been going on since March 27, when he submitted a complaint to arbitration.

According to the lawsuit, shortly after Fuccillo filed that arbitration claim, Silver "contacted Fuccillo Kia in Wesley Chapel offering to sell the billyfuccillo.com domain name to [Fuccillo] further evidencing his bad faith in having registered it."

A three-member arbitration panel decided in Fuccillo's favor on May 13, ordering Silver to transfer the domain name to Fuccillo. The panel, in its decision, noted that Silver bought the domain name on Aug. 29, 2006.

Silver, in a telephone interview, said he did transfer the domain name back to Fuccillo and doesn't understand why he is being sued. The billyfuccillo.com site currently leads to Fuccillo Automotive Group.

Silver said he regrets what happened. He said that he bought the name in the middle of the night. "I bid on it and I won it and then next thing I know I have this domain dispute." He added that Century Kia had nothing to do with the matter, adding: "I really wasn't trying to do anything malicious."

In his lawsuit, Fuccillo has asked the court to permanently block Silver from using the domain name and other similar words or images. He is also asking the court to block Silver from selling or offering the domain name for sale. Fuccillo also asked that the court order Silver's registration of the domain name be forfeited and all rights to it be transferred to the car magnate as well as unspecified monetary damages. He is also demanding that Silver delete the domain name from any computer files and hand over any revenues and profits he may have gotten by using the domain name.

Lawyers for Fuccillo didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit, which includes claims for cyberpiracy and unfair competition under federal trademark law as well as violations of Florida's deceptive and unfair trade practices law and the state's right of publicity law. The lawsuit called the use of Fuccillo's name "wanton, intentional and reckless and with complete disregard to plaintiff Billy Fuccillo's rights in and to his name and persona."

Known for the catchphrase in his commercials that say, "It's gonna be huge," Fuccillo states in his lawsuit that he spends up to $30 million annually on advertising, "virtually all of which prominently features the Fuccillo mark and most of which further associates the auto dealership with Billy Fuccillo." He uses the domain name "fuccillo.com."

Fuccillo, who owns one of the largest auto dealerships in the country, operates 26 retail locations in New York and Florida with annual revenues of nearly $1 billion, according to court papers.

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Billy Fuccillo, owner of Fuccillo Automotive Group, has been a “HUGE” part of the automotive industry for nearly four decades.

Born and raised in Greenport, Long Island, Billy maintains close ties with his family, including his father Veto, a hair stylist, his mother Joan, and his two siblings, Joan and Gary. A born leader and excellent athlete, Billy served as captain of this high school football, baseball and golf teams. While he loved all sports, Billy excelled on the football field, where he was voted a McDonald’s Football All-American. Billy was recruited by many universities including Notre Dame, Penn State and Temple, before ultimately choosing to attend Syracuse University on a full football scholarship.

After graduating from SU in 1978 with a degree in marketing, Billy got his start in the automotive business as a salesman at a dealership in Fayetteville, New York. He then spent three years in the wholesale business rounding out his automotive education. In 1987, Billy purchased his own used car dealership in Syracuse, New York.

Billy made the most of his opportunity in Syracuse, cutting through the clutter with aggressive advertising and promotions. The formula quickly paid off, as he expanded his reach, first northward into Adams, New York, before stretching it across the state. Today, Fuccillo Automotive Group is the largest automobile dealer in New York State with locations in the Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Water town markets.

Billy was one of 15 dealers nationwide to be welcomed into the Kia President’s Club in 2009 for achieving the highest overall sales volume and outstanding customer satisfaction. He has been accepted into the Kia President’s Club each year since. Over the course of his career, Billy has owned dealerships all over the country, including New York, Florida, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

In 2010, Billy brought his “HUGE” auto empire and personality to Florida and opened Fuccillo Kia of Cape Coral. Relying on the same formula that yielded decades of success in New York, Fuccillo Kia of Cape Coral quickly garnered national recognition and was named the “Best New Dealer” by Kia Motors Corp. after just one year of business. In the years since, Fuccillo Kia of Cape Coral has been named the “National Dealer of the Year for Highest Sales Volume” four additional times. 

To further expand his footprint in Florida, Billy soon opened Fuccillo Kia of Wesley Chapel in 2015, and both Fuccillo Kia of Merritt Island and Fuccillo Kia of Port Charlotte in 2016. Fuccillo Kia of Port Charlotte features a two-story, 50,000-square-foot building that sits on 70 acres of property, making it Billy’s largest dealership in Florida to date.

Altogether Fuccillo Automotive Group now comprises 28 dealerships and 33 franchises in New York and Florida, and employs 2,500 people. Billy’s son, Billy Fuccillo Jr., has followed in his father’s footsteps and operates four of his own dealerships.

Known for his “HUGE” monthly promotional events, Billy hosted his first event in May 1996 at his dealership in Adams, New York, where Robbie Knievel, son of Evil Knievel, set a world record with a no-hands jump over 25 new cars. Since then, Billy has held half-court basketball shoot-outs, miniature golf tournaments and enter-to-win contests to give his customers the chance to win not only cars, but houses, a tanker of gas, trips around the world, cruises and cash, and more.

Most importantly, Billy has made giving back to the communities he serves a top priority. He regularly includes charities in his promotions, with benefactors of Billy’s generosity having included local children’s, disability services, domestic violence, veterans and hunger relief organizations, and schools

Today, after nearly 40 years in the business, Billy remains at the top of his game and Fuccillo Automotive Group is stronger than ever. Whether you’re talking about sales numbers, customer service or commitment to community, there’s really only one way to describe it all – “IT’S HUGE!TM” 

In December, more than 3,000 customers cruised to Belize, Cozumel and Grand Cayman island aboard the Navigator of the Seas.

Billy Fuccillo doesn't do anything small, including sales promotions. The owner of Fuccillo Automotive Group has raised his own marketing bar with a behemoth of a promotional event: a free, six-day cruise for every customer who buys or leases a Kia from one of his Florida Kia stores during an annual late-winter sales event.

"It's a tremendous customer-loyalty builder," says Fuccillo, a former tight end at Syracuse University who projects a larger-than-life persona that dwarfs even his commanding 6-foot-4-inch, 270-pound presence. "Customers come back every two or three years to buy a new Kia because they want to go on the trip."

To illustrate the effectiveness of the annual Cruise with Huge promotion, Fuccillo recalls a customer who came in last year to trade in a 2016 Optima with only 800 miles for a 2017 Optima. "He told my used-car sales manager that he and his wife had dinner with me on the cruise," he told Automotive News. "He said they had such a good time that they wanted to go on another cruise and party with me again. Now that's not the case for everyone who takes the cruise, but it definitely keeps bringing back a lot of customers.“

‘The whole boat‘

The most recent cruise was Fuccillo Automotive's sixth. In December, some 3,200 customers boarded the Navigator of the Seas for a trip to Belize, Cozumel and Grand Cayman island. "We reserved the whole boat," Fuccillo says.

The price tag? A cool $1.5 million, says Fuccillo, who's well known for his oft-heard (and sometimes parodied) TV commercials in Florida markets, featuring his trademark slogan, "It's H-U-U-U-G-E-J-A!"

Fuccillo Group owns 30 dealerships in upstate New York and Florida. The New York stores sell Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Ford, Chevrolet, Buick, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Subaru, Mazda, Lincoln, Volkswagen, Nissan and Toyota brands. In Florida, the group has two Nissan and three Kia dealerships, with a fourth Kia dealership on the way. The Florida Kia dealerships alone sold 13,413 new Kias and 3,234 used vehicles in 2017.

Fuccillo is no stranger to over-the-top, high-visibility promotions. In 1996, Robbie Knievel — the son of the late, world-famous daredevil Evel Knievel — jumped a motorcycle over 19 cars at a Fuccillo dealership in Adams, N.Y., northeast of Rochester. The nationally televised promotion spurred the sale of more than 500 cars, Fucccillo says.

"The whole ship gets transformed into our exclusive boat. And when you check into your room, you get a tote bag filled with [Fuccillo] T-shirts, hats and other items. ... this is no Mickey Mouse deal.“

 Billy Fuccillo, Fuccillo Automotive Group

"I'm everywhere — radio, direct mail, TV," he says, noting that the Florida Kia dealerships spend about $2.5 million a year on marketing. "I'm really heavy on electronic advertising, as in drive-you-nuts heavy. We're really in customers' faces. Our advertising is not your standard car advertising — it's on edge. But whether you like it or you don't like it, you're always going to remember it."

Fuccillo started the Cruise with Huge promotion in 2012. The cruises usually are held in early December. To qualify, customers must purchase a car during the annual sales event in January, February and March, timed to coincide with the influx of retirees who winter in southwestern Florida.

The promotion started out with small cruise ships and gradually moved up to the giant Navigator of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean International vessel that's one of the largest cruise ships in the world, capable of carrying 3,286 passengers.

On board, first-timers who might expect what Fuccillo calls a "dinky-donky boat" are in for a surprise. "They don't always understand that this is the real deal," he says.

Along with providing top-level entertainment, Fuccillo Kia branding is in full force everywhere, from banners hung high to lettering on the bottom of a pool. The Fuccillo name is emblazoned on glassware, slot machines and the felt coverings on the blackjack tables.

‘Transformed‘

"The whole ship gets transformed into our exclusive boat," he says. "And when you check into your room, you get a tote bag filled with [Fuccillo] T-shirts, hats and other items. We don't fool around ... this is no Mickey Mouse deal.“

Why is the promotion so popular? For starters, Fuccillo points to customer demographics. Southwestern Florida is either a permanent or temporary home for a large contingent of retirees who have the time to take cruises.

Then there's the sheer value of the trip. "They're effectively getting a $4,000 value just by purchasing a new vehicle," he says.

Fuccillo finds the cruises rewarding beyond increased car sales. It dovetails with his belief that selling cars must include a personal touch that extends beyond websites and social media.

"The Internet is cold," he says. "It seems like it's nothing more than a race to the bottom — who has the lowest price. I'm not sold on that kind of marketing.

"Nobody wants to talk to anyone anymore," he continues. "But it's wonderful to mingle with people who buy cars from you. You can't have cocktails and dinner with customers on the Internet. But you can do it on a cruise."

In Fuccillo's eyes, that's, well, huge.

WATERTOWN - The Fuccillo Automotive Group announced in a news release Tuesday that it was donating $3,900 to the H. T. Wiley Intermediate School.

The money is meant to help offset the cost of field trips for the school, which serves fifth- and sixth-graders in the Watertown City School District.

According to the news release, this is the second year in a row that Fuccillo Automotive Group, in coordination with its local dealerships in Jefferson County, has made a donation to the school to help with its transportation costs.

The Adams’ Ford dealership also works with the school during its “Stuff the Bus” donation drive, which “encourages community members to drop off new school supplies at a designated school bus parked on the dealership lot.”

Billy Fuccillo

became famous in Southwest Florida for his quick, off-the-cuff commercials and his famous tagline “It’s going to be huge, Caroline. It’s going to be huge.” Now the owner of the massive auto chain is introducing residence to the company’s latest spokesperson, McKinzie Roth.Large celebrations are planned on Saturday in Port Charlotte and Cape Coral to let the public meet Roth, that will feature food, drinks, music, and giveaways.The process of selecting a new spokesperson was harder than expected, according to Fuccillo, who said that his team searched through a group of over 1000 candidates during the process. One of the reasons Roth was selected was her ability to ad lib, an important skill for a spokesperson who may be asked to record as many as 150 of the company’s trademark commercials in one day.“It’s not her first rodeo,” said Fuccillo. “She’s quick, she’s fast. There is no second cut with her, she’s a real pro.”

The auto mogul said that Roth has experience in radio and television, including time as a news anchor and a red-carpet reporter.The celebration on Saturday will be held at the company’s Cape Coral dealership at 404 NE Pine Island Road from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Hooters girls will be there serving wings and cocktails while

Fuccillo and Roth will be available for autographs. Those who RSVP will be eligible for $250 in online gift cards, and the dealer will be running one of its trademark promotions, a free cruise for everyone who leases or buys a car.Fuccillo even hinted that he may tear up a few contracts during the event, meaning some lucky customers may walk away with a free car.“I love ripping up those contracts, and they know what it means, people are happy,” said Fuccillo. “Some of the people start crying, it’s just wonderful.”Reference Link -