Billy Fuccillo

William Bruce "Billy" Fuccillo Sr. (January 9, 1956 – June 17, 2021) was an American car dealer who ran a network of car dealerships called the Fuccillo Automotive Group.

William Bruce Fuccillo
Born(1956-01-09)January 9, 1956
Greenport, Suffolk County, New York
DiedJune 17, 2021(2021-06-17) (aged 65)
Sarasota, Florida
Other namesBilly
OccupationCar Dealer
Known for"Huge!" Advertising Catchphrase

Biography

Fuccillo was born in Greenport, Suffolk County, New York in 1956. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1978 with a degree in marketing.[1] Following college, he worked at various car dealerships. In 1989, he went out on his own and opened his first dealership. Over time, the business grew to over 25 dealerships in New York and Florida[2] selling a variety of brands.[3] His trademark saying is "it's HUGE!", which is often drawn out in his advertisements.[4][5] Tom Park, Fuccillo's production director and the straight man in many of the company's commercials until 2018, remarked that Fuccillo had originally ad libbed the line in response to the strong turnout to a sales event, and that the two liked it so much that they used it as their trademark from that point onward.[6]

Fuccillo died in his Florida home on June 17, 2021, after months of declining health and battling a long-term illness.[7] Park died almost exactly one year later.[8]

References
  1. Allen, Pam (August 16, 2010). "10 Minutes with Billy Fuccillo". Albany Business Review.
  2. Flannery, Lauren (July 3, 2015). "New job on menu for server who won $75,000 Fuccillo prize". The News-Press.
  3. "Fuccillo Locations | Fuccillo Automotive Group". Fuccillo Auto Group. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  4. Chappell, Lindsay (February 9, 2013). "'Huge!' commercials get into people's heads". Automotive News.
  5. McMorris, Frances (June 6, 2018). "Billy Fuccillo, known for 'huge' radio spots for his car dealerships, locked in cyberpiracy battle". Tampa Bay Business Journal.
  6. Huuuuuge started as an ad-lib for Billy Fuccillo, became iconic upstate NY catchphrase. CNY Central. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  7. "'Huge' car dealer and philanthropist Billy Fuccillo has died". CNY Central.
  8. "Tom Park, of Fuccillo commercial fame, dies". WSYR. June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
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