Billy Fuccillo is president of fuccillo automotive group Syracuse New York . Fuccillo Automotive Group is the largest automobile dealership in the state of New York.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Monday, November 20, 2017
Billy Fuccillo narrows new Kia commercial star to 18 finalists in Port Charlotte
One, by one, the 18 finalists for Billy Fuccillo’s new TV commercial sidekick and model went through the interview process Thursday at Fuccillo Kia in Port Charlotte.
The process turned into something that went beyond even the company’s “huge” expectations.
Fuccillo, owner of Fuccillo Kia in Cape Coral, Port Charlotte and other car dealerships throughout Florida and his native New York, spent all of the afternoon filming commercials with each of the finalists. He will review the tapes over the weekend. He hopes to name a winner early next week.
“It’s not that easy to just get up and imrove” Fuccillo said of his unscripted commercials. “There are a couple who are seasoned veterans. This wasn’t their first rodeo. But I want to see how they all look on the tapes. I want to see how they talk and present themselves.”
Plans to name the winner immediately after filming were scrapped because there were too many quality candidates and because Fuccillo wanted to further screen them, said Xavier Villarreal, general manager of Fuccillo Kia in Cape Coral.
“Billy’s such a big personality,” Villarreal said. “We don’t want to put him at risk.”
The company will review the finalists’ Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts and do further background checks before announcing the winner.
The winner will get right to work, as Fuccillo hopes to continue his Cape Coral location’s distinction as the top-selling Kia dealership in the world since opening in December, 2010.
With the resignation of Caroline Renfro in September as the reigning on-screen foil to Fuccillo, the Fuccillo Automotive Group wanted a fresh face to replace her.
“We did it the other way before,” Villarreal said of “Caroline,” who had done numerous TV commercials in her native North Carolina prior to meeting Fuccillo. He saw her on TV while in Chapel Hill more than a decade ago.
“Why not get somebody who is new?” Villarreal said. “An unknown. The possibilities are endless.”
The possibilities include Mary Harper, 26, of Cape Coral. Her family has bought eight Kia vehicles over the past five years, including her own Sportage.
“My mom, she’s really my motivation, and she encouraged me to apply,” said Harper, who sells real estate for Barclay’s in Fort Myers.
Like all the other candidates, Harper first interviewed in an office with Fuccillo, Villarreal and other members of the company. She then filmed a 30-second spot with Fuccillo and model Gloria Ordonez in front of a Cadenza inside the showroom before moving outside for another spot in front of an Optima.
“To be honest, I was really nervous,” Harper said after her turn. “But once he handed me the microphone, I felt very comfortable. If I feel I need to say something, I have no problem with that.”
Some of the finalists had trouble getting a word in over Fuccillo’s booming voice. Harper said she did what she could.
“This is his show,” she said. “This is his baby. This feels so surreal. Whoever gets this opportunity deserves it. There is so much talent here. For me to be here, it’s an honor.”
Asked if she would worry about it after leaving – she stayed in the showroom to watch some of her competition – she said she would.
“Oh, I’m going to worry about it,” Harper said. “Because I want this so bad. There’s so much competition.”
The competition included Maegan Vogel, 27, the first applicant to audition. She lives in West Palm Beach, and found out about the opportunity from her father-in-law, who lives in Cape Coral.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” she said afterward. “Hopefully I’ll hear something.”
Andrea Cervantes, 27, a dental assistant from Cape Coral, bought an Optima from Fuccillo last year.
“It’s the most-fun driving car on the market today,” Cervantes said during her commercial shoot in front of the Optima.
Each of the finalists tried their take on Fuccillo’s long-time catchphrase “Huuugja.” The car dealer even has the word “huge” in call capital letters on the tailfin of his private jet.
The winner will be expected to film up to 180 commercials in one day. Fuccillo films them about once a month in bunches.
There were 18,000 people who emailed the company with recommendations or applications for the job, Villarreal said. Those were whittled down to about 1,000 and then 110 and then 18.
“It was amazing,” Cervantes said of being one of the finalists. “I’m so glad to have had this opportunity.”
Original from: http://www.news-press.com/story/news/2017/11/09/billy-fuccillo-narrows-new-kia-commercial-star-18-finalists-port-charlotte/843475001/
Original from: http://www.news-press.com/story/news/2017/11/09/billy-fuccillo-narrows-new-kia-commercial-star-18-finalists-port-charlotte/843475001/
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Fuccillo seeking ‘Caroline’ replacement: Is it gonna be you, SWFL?
Spend more than a few minutes watching TV or listening to the radio in Southwest Florida, and you’ve heard them.
The ads are quick, often seemingly improvised on the spot, and rarely the same exact ad twice, but they’ve all got the same common threads: Billy Fuccillo, owner of Fuccillo Kia of Cape Coral, along with a cast of characters, telling you that everything is “HUGE.”
You probably even read the catchphrase in Fuccillo’s voice.
But the car dealer in charge of an expansive lot in Cape Coral, one of 30 between Florida and New York, is seeking a replacement for his right-hand woman in many of those ads.
“That’s the style I believe in,” Fuccillo said. “If you look at most dealerships and most car companies, they’ll run the same commercial for like three weeks. We want to mix them all up, we want to run 25 or 40 commercials in the span of three weeks, and we want to get the message out there on all of our products, not just one.”
Billy Fuccillo has created a website and a casting call for what the company is calling theNext Fuccillo Celebrity.
Why Renfro is leaving isn’t quite clear, even to Fuccillo.
“I have an idea, I really don’t know for sure,” Fuccillo said, adding he’s heard everything from becoming a nun to taking a position with a European theatre group. “I think it allowed her, working with our company, to be seen. Just like with the next person I’m talking about, and the opportunity could lead to what I think ended up being a nice opportunity for Caroline as well.”
But what is clear is what the position demands. Fuccillo Automotive creates numerous ads for his various dealerships, he says they do about 180 different spots every month between TV and radio advertisements…and they’re all filmed in about a day and a half.
“They’ve got to be very good at [improvisation], be able to walk and talk without cue cards. They’ve got to be quick on their feet,” Fuccillo said. “In the beginning we were thinking about hiring an actress or someone who has been on TV before, through an agent and this and that. When you talk to those people, they think you’re going to do 2 spots a day. Not 200. 2. A lot of people can’t adjust to that.”
Since creating the website, Billy Fuccillo said about 150 applicants have submitted their names to be next. Applications will be accepted through Tuesday, after which Fuccillo and his team will narrow it down to 50 finalists. From there, finalists will be interviewed, and eventually do test ads with Fuccillo and the rest of his team – general manager Xavier Villareal and Miami-based model Gloria Ordonez.
The reason for moving so quickly,Billy Fuccillo says, is that they take two weeks in December to start working on ads for the following year — including a promotional cruise on Dec. 3.
“Not only do they have to be able to do commercials, they have to be able to talk to our customers, like on that cruise ship. It’s a fun job, but its demanding.”
“We pay pretty good, too.”
Source: http://naplesherald.com/2017/11/03/fuccillo-seeking-caroline-replacement-gonna-swfl/
The ads are quick, often seemingly improvised on the spot, and rarely the same exact ad twice, but they’ve all got the same common threads: Billy Fuccillo, owner of Fuccillo Kia of Cape Coral, along with a cast of characters, telling you that everything is “HUGE.”
But the car dealer in charge of an expansive lot in Cape Coral, one of 30 between Florida and New York, is seeking a replacement for his right-hand woman in many of those ads.
“That’s the style I believe in,” Fuccillo said. “If you look at most dealerships and most car companies, they’ll run the same commercial for like three weeks. We want to mix them all up, we want to run 25 or 40 commercials in the span of three weeks, and we want to get the message out there on all of our products, not just one.”
Billy Fuccillo has created a website and a casting call for what the company is calling theNext Fuccillo Celebrity.
Why Renfro is leaving isn’t quite clear, even to Fuccillo.
“I have an idea, I really don’t know for sure,” Fuccillo said, adding he’s heard everything from becoming a nun to taking a position with a European theatre group. “I think it allowed her, working with our company, to be seen. Just like with the next person I’m talking about, and the opportunity could lead to what I think ended up being a nice opportunity for Caroline as well.”
But what is clear is what the position demands. Fuccillo Automotive creates numerous ads for his various dealerships, he says they do about 180 different spots every month between TV and radio advertisements…and they’re all filmed in about a day and a half.
“They’ve got to be very good at [improvisation], be able to walk and talk without cue cards. They’ve got to be quick on their feet,” Fuccillo said. “In the beginning we were thinking about hiring an actress or someone who has been on TV before, through an agent and this and that. When you talk to those people, they think you’re going to do 2 spots a day. Not 200. 2. A lot of people can’t adjust to that.”
Since creating the website, Billy Fuccillo said about 150 applicants have submitted their names to be next. Applications will be accepted through Tuesday, after which Fuccillo and his team will narrow it down to 50 finalists. From there, finalists will be interviewed, and eventually do test ads with Fuccillo and the rest of his team – general manager Xavier Villareal and Miami-based model Gloria Ordonez.
The reason for moving so quickly,Billy Fuccillo says, is that they take two weeks in December to start working on ads for the following year — including a promotional cruise on Dec. 3.
“Not only do they have to be able to do commercials, they have to be able to talk to our customers, like on that cruise ship. It’s a fun job, but its demanding.”
“We pay pretty good, too.”
Source: http://naplesherald.com/2017/11/03/fuccillo-seeking-caroline-replacement-gonna-swfl/
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Billy Fuccillo launches search for 'next Caroline' Kia commercial celebrity
Billy Fuccillo, owner of Fuccillo Kia in Cape Coral, is searching for his next, celebrity TV commercial star following the resignation of Caroline Renfro. Hopefuls have until the end of Monday to apply, and auditions will take place late next week. David Dorsey
Caroline Renfro, Fuccillo’s longtime TV commercial partner, has resigned. Although at first Fuccillo said she was moving to Roanoke, Virginia, where she would train to become a nun, the car dealer backtracked on that during an interview with The News-Press. On Thursday, Fuccillo said Renfro’s departure, an amicable one, was also a mysterious one. He had heard a number of rumors but couldn’t confirm any of them.
Renfro, an actress and Charlotte, North Carolina resident, could not be reached for comment.
“Who knows?” Fuccillo said of Renfro’s future. “She called me the other day, and she said, ‘I’ll call you Thanksgiving.’
"Nobody knows what Caroline's doing right now. But I can tell you one thing. We're looking for the next Caroline right now, and who knows? It could be you."
Renfro’s first name remains emblazoned upon an oversized, red, wooden lawn chair inside the Cape Coral dealership along with Fuccillo’s catchphrase, “Huge.” Otherwise, she no longer will be a part of their marketing plans moving forward.
As for Caroline’s replacement, Fuccillo created nextfuccillocelebrity.com. "Ready to live huge?" the site asks.
Applicants have until before midnight Monday to submit up to 10 photographs and a resume via the email address next@fuccillo.com. Videos of relevant work are encouraged to be submitted as well. A panel of five representatives from the Fuccillo Automotive Group will narrow the applicants to 50 for interviews.
Those seeking to replace Caroline must sign a modeling waiver form, giving Fuccillo permission to use their videos and photos in advertisements. They also must be at least 20 years old.
The finalist will be the face of a successful Southwest Florida franchise, one Kia certified as the top-selling Kia dealership in the world. Fuccillo has sold about 40,000 new cars since opening in late 2010. While the dealership is heavily marketing the Cadenza this month with various incentive deals, it has reshaped the number of Kia Souls and Optimas on local roads. The Soul ranked 29th and the Optima 36th of the nation’s top 398 new cars sold in 2016; they ranked sixth and fifth in Southwest Florida during the same year, according to IHS Markit.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Fuccillo Kia general manager Xavier Villarreal said of the auditions. “The response has been great. It’s going to be a great opportunity for somebody.”
Next Thursday, about 30 finalists will shoot commercials with Fuccillo, after which a winner will be named.
It’s tougher than it looks on TV, Fuccillo said.
“They have to be able to do 180 spots a day,” said Fuccillo, who bought three, 30-second spots during Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday night and three for Game 6 as well.
Fuccillo said he recognized not everyone likes his commercials – but they remember them, and that’s what counts. “A lot of people think they’re going to get a script and do two a week,” Fuccillo said. We’re looking for someone who can walk and talk and do 180 in a day. We go fast. We have to find the right person who can excel and ad lib.
Renfro, an actress and Charlotte, North Carolina resident, could not be reached for comment.
“Who knows?” Fuccillo said of Renfro’s future. “She called me the other day, and she said, ‘I’ll call you Thanksgiving.’
"Nobody knows what Caroline's doing right now. But I can tell you one thing. We're looking for the next Caroline right now, and who knows? It could be you."
Renfro’s first name remains emblazoned upon an oversized, red, wooden lawn chair inside the Cape Coral dealership along with Fuccillo’s catchphrase, “Huge.” Otherwise, she no longer will be a part of their marketing plans moving forward.
As for Caroline’s replacement, Fuccillo created nextfuccillocelebrity.com. "Ready to live huge?" the site asks.
Applicants have until before midnight Monday to submit up to 10 photographs and a resume via the email address next@fuccillo.com. Videos of relevant work are encouraged to be submitted as well. A panel of five representatives from the Fuccillo Automotive Group will narrow the applicants to 50 for interviews.
Those seeking to replace Caroline must sign a modeling waiver form, giving Fuccillo permission to use their videos and photos in advertisements. They also must be at least 20 years old.
The finalist will be the face of a successful Southwest Florida franchise, one Kia certified as the top-selling Kia dealership in the world. Fuccillo has sold about 40,000 new cars since opening in late 2010. While the dealership is heavily marketing the Cadenza this month with various incentive deals, it has reshaped the number of Kia Souls and Optimas on local roads. The Soul ranked 29th and the Optima 36th of the nation’s top 398 new cars sold in 2016; they ranked sixth and fifth in Southwest Florida during the same year, according to IHS Markit.
Next Thursday, about 30 finalists will shoot commercials with Fuccillo, after which a winner will be named.
It’s tougher than it looks on TV, Fuccillo said.
Fuccillo said he recognized not everyone likes his commercials – but they remember them, and that’s what counts. “A lot of people think they’re going to get a script and do two a week,” Fuccillo said. We’re looking for someone who can walk and talk and do 180 in a day. We go fast. We have to find the right person who can excel and ad lib.
“We’re going to see what kind of personalities they have and how they work with me.”
Fuccillo also has Glorida Ordonez as an on-screen foil. Ordonez, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, lives in Miami, where she appeared weekly as a model on the Univision TV show, Sabado Gigante.
Fuccillo said he would miss Renfro. Their commercials ran throughout the year in his Florida and New York markets.
“It’s been more than 10 years,” Fuccillo said. “I found her about 12 years ago.”
At the time, his son Billy Fuccillo Jr., now the owner of two Autonation franchises near Jacksonville, was attending the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Fuccillo Sr. was in town for a football game. While in his hotel, he turned on TV and saw Renfro doing a car commercial. She also did commercials for Harris Teeter, a grocery store chain. He recruited her immediately.
“She was great,” Fuccillo said. “Great sense of humor. She knew how to come back at me the right way. It was a good, back and forth vibe.”
Monday, October 30, 2017
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Cuneo: A Day in the Life of Billy Fuccillo
A man awakes in his bedroom to the sound of primal roaring. 7:15 a.m. is known to Billy Fuccillo as feeding time.
Fuccillo doesn’t often receive gifts, but when the Bosnian prime minister offers you a Bengal tiger as a token of gratitude, you take it. Sasha is 7 years old, and when she’s hungry, she’ll let you know about it.
“At ease Sasha,” Fuccillo mumbles. “Daddy’s home.”
Three uncooked filet mignon steaks later, and Fuccillo begins his morning preparations. He is still moving all of his belongings into the mansion he rented from Derek Jeter in Tampa, Florida, so his palace looks more like a Minecraft map with boxes scattered across the premises. This doesn’t distract Fuccillo from getting ready: Armani suit, gold Rolex and a Livestrong-style bracelet engraved with a four-letter word that rhymes with luge.
At the airport, he pulls into his normal spot in the hangar and heads to the Fuccillo Jet, fully equipped with food, drink and his favorite video game system — the original PlayStation. One “Crash Team Racing” game turns into two, into three, into twelve and before you know it, he’s in Syracuse.
After his usual Bruegger’s bagel with cream cheese and capers, Fuccillo heads downtown to the OnCenter to confirm a brand new billboard for Fuccillo Hyundai, his car dealership and diamond sanctuary. Upon request, he asked to see the advertisement firsthand to ensure quality.
“Just like you said,” mutters the billboard representative from North Syracuse as he tries to hide the fear in his eyes.
“This is not what I asked for. It’s too small.”
“Then what do you want?”
“It needs to be … bigger.”
“How much bigger?”
Fuccillo walks away from the representative from North Syracuse and leaves him to contemplate. As he walks, he hears behind him the open weeps of another grown man who has fallen beneath the weight of an iron giant.
In the limousine on the way to the Sheraton, he gets a phone call from “No Caller ID.” He knows exactly who it is.
“The River Thames begs to embrace the one and only Billy Fuccillo. The London skies are just a bit more gray when you aren’t around.”
“I miss the United Kingdom very dearly, you know this Sir Elton John, but I have prior engagements. My work here isn’t done.”
“When it is, you know who to call.”
A beat passes, and then at the same time they both answer, “Ghostbusters.” It’s the type of friendship that stands the test of time. The type of friendship where they say their first and last names on every phone call, as men do.
***
Fuccillo gets out of the limousine with the license plate that rhymes with refuge and cracks a grin. This is it, what he’s worked for: his induction into the Syracuse Car Salesman Hall of Fame. The National Car Salesmen of America voted him in first ballot, and today was the induction ceremony outside of Marshall Square Mall, where Fuccillo would be receiving his statue within the next 3-5 years, depending on city planning.
The crowd outside the diminutive mall was massive. Men in suits were throwing toilet paper out the windows of Whitman and Starbucks renamed each of its Frappuccinos after a different type of Hyundai model. Today was cause for celebration and, at the heart of it, was a monolith whose name will ring in the ears of our grandchildren.
“Today, I consider myself the luckiest car salesman on the face of the Earth,” begins Fuccillo at his personal podium made of gold, frankincense and myrrh. A stray, “We love you Billy!” echos from a passerby leaving the Sheraton, waiting to enter the brand new The Sheraton Presents: The Billy Fuccillo Atrium for Hyundais and Other Important Things.
“You don’t know what this means to me. I’ve shot so many commercials with so little care for the quality,” Fuccillo says. “I’ve sold cars to Sheiks, CEOs and even the original Joe the Plumber.”
The crowd “Oooohs,” and Fuccillo lets the awe sink in.
“But I just want to say that this town is where my heart will always be. Thank you for your money and trust. You see, it’s not the wheels or the engine or even the heated seats in our latest Hyundai Elantra that you can pick up with no down payment. A car cannot move without a brave soul to hit the gas.”
The crowd erupts into applause, anointing the patron saint of Hyundai in a sea of gray and brown snow that is thrown into the air like confetti. If it weren’t so gross, it would be mesmerizing.
And through it all stands Billy Fuccillo, car salesman extraordinaire with a satisfied smile on his face.
It’s huge.
http://dailyorange.com/2016/02/cuneo-a-day-in-the-life-of-billy-fuccillo/
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Billy Fuccillo, Kia Soul transform driving in Southwest Florida
The man who
transformed the cars people buy, drive or see on the roads of an entire region
wore dark slacks and a red Tommy Bahama shirt.
Billy
Fuccillo beckoned.
“Come and check out
mine,” Fuccillo said of his white Kia Soul, similar to the 96 new ones
available on his lot. His car featured an upgraded, 201 horsepower engine,
leather seats, a navigation system and a panoramic sunroof.
“Of all the
manufacturers I’ve represented in more than 30 years, the Soul is the only car
that appeals to 18- and 19-year-olds and 78- and 80-year olds,” Fuccillo said.
“People who are 52 like the Soul. People who are 32. People who are 18. People
who are 80.”
Prior to Fuccillo Kia
opening in December, 2010 at 404 NE Pine Island Road, in Cape Coral, no
Kia-branded cars made the top 10 list of new, registered cars in the combined
areas of Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties.
Every year since 2011,
at least three and sometimes four – the Soul, Optima, Forte and sometimes the
Sorento – have made the top 10 for new cars registered in those six counties,
according to data gathered by IHS Markit, a Michigan-based marketing firm.
Between opening more
than six years ago and mid-July, Fuccillo Kia has sold 36,850 new cars. Of
those, 24 percent, or 8,965, have been Souls. Kia corporate verified Fuccillo’s
claim that the Cape Coral dealership is in fact the world’s largest Kia dealer
in terms of volume.
Consider: Kia Soul
ranked 29th of the nation’s top 398 new cars sold in 2016. The Kia Optima
ranked 36th. But in Southwest Florida, those cars ranked sixth and fifth,
respectively, according to IHS Markit.
Gender-wise, 53
percent of the region's Soul drivers are female, and 47 percent are male,
according to IHS Markit.
“Younger people like
the car because it’s cute,” said Greg Hood, general manager of Galeana Kia,
which also sells the Soul. “Older people like the car because it’s practical.”
Greg McCarter, 52 and
from Cape Coral, stands 6 feet and weighs 450 pounds. He and his wife,
Calondra, rented a Soul for a 2015 cross-country trip to California instead of
their Toyota Sequoia, which gets 17 miles per gallon on the highway to the
Soul’s 30-31.
“I didn’t think I was
going to fit in it, because I’m a really big guy,” McCarter said of the Soul.
“But once I got in it … I’ve got all kinds of pictures of every state that I
was in with that Kia.”
This year, McCarter
bought a 2017 Soul from Fuccillo for $20,000.
The Kia Soul
demographics also include the 6-foot-3 Fuccillo, 61, who declares ad
nauseam in numerous television and radio commercials and flyers that his cars
are: “HUUUUU-JA!”
The marketing major,
psychology minor and former tight end for the Syracuse University football
team, drives his Soul when visiting Cape Coral from his Tampa home. He
owns five Florida dealerships with a sixth in the planning stages for Clermont.
He also owns 24 dealerships in upstate New York, where he sells more than a
dozen brands of cars, including the Kia.
“You have an
exceptional dealer in one area who does an exceptional job with one brand,”
said Tom Libby, an automobile analyst for IHS Market. “That can raise the
volume for a model or brand. It might be a part of the country that gravitates
to a certain concept. Four-wheel drive vehicles traditionally do very well in
mountain areas, for example.
“In the case of the
Kia Soul, it’s most likely related to an exceptional dealer performance. Now I
will say that the Kia Soul does well across the country, but it’s not in the
top 10.”
The beginning
In the fall of 2010,
Fuccillo and Percy Vaughn, now the executive director of the southern region
for Kia corporate, had dinner in Orlando. They discussed Fuccillo entering the
sales market for the Korean brand in Southwest Florida, having had success in
upstate New York.
At the time, Cape
Coral was at the epicenter of the nation’s housing crisis. The economy was in
shambles. Kia and Fuccillo took a gamble during a critical time at a location
that had been an out-of-business Saturn dealership.
“He’s one of the most
unique guys in the entire automotive industry,” Vaughn said. “He said, ‘I think
I can make a big splash in this market.’ He came in and never looked back.
“With Billy, when he
does these promotions, people come from as far away as Miami or Tampa. They
would drive down to buy a car from him, even though we had other dealerships in
those areas.”
In May of 2012, less
than two years after opening, Fuccillo had a concert on the Cape Coral lot. He
hired the classic rock band, Styx, which had top 40 hits such as "Come
Sail Away." The event drew thousands of fans. Fuccillo said he sold
dozens of cars.
Billy Fuccillo said at the start of each year, he sets a marketing budget,
usually about $350,000 to $850,000 a month.
“He’s very
aggressive,” Libby said. “He’s motivated. He’s very shrewd. That concert you
mentioned probably drew an audience that was a good fit for the Soul.”
In 1996, Fuccillo had
Robbie Knievel, son of daredevil Evil Knievel, jump his motorcycle over 19 cars
outside his Adams, New York, dealership. Fuccillo said he sold a record 523
cars in one day.
“When I got out of
college, I went to a Chevy dealer in Buffalo, looking for a job in sales,”
Fuccillo said of 1978. He was turned down three times.
“The fourth time I
went back, they finally hired me.”
Big man, big
personality
Fuccillo worked his
way into buying dealerships. He once bought a Hyundai store in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, where he went by the handle “Billy Fernandez” and did his “H-U-G-E!”
catchphrase. He said he bought the bankrupt store for $25,000 and sold it two
years later to Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller for $7 million.
Xavier Villarreal, a Fort
Myers High School graduate and Hall of Fame football player there, worked in
sales and then as a manager at Sam Galloway Ford in Fort Myers. In late 2010,
he applied to be the general manager of Fuccillo Kia.
Fuccillo told
Villarreal he wanted him to train in Rochester, New York, and to pack his bags.
Villarreal said he
hadn’t had time to book a flight yet.
“Who do you think I
am?” Fuccillo told Villarreal. “I’ve got my Lear jet waiting for you at the
airport.”
“Thirty minutes later,
I’m 10,000 feet in the air, taking off and heading to New York,” Villarreal
said. “I spent four weeks there. I never saw all of this coming. I know a lot
of people in the community. I know what this community is about. But I never
foresaw it being on the scale that it became on a day-to-day basis.
“He has a heart of
gold. I know sometimes people wish he could do more. There’s always somebody in
need. But with what he does for our customers – 70 to 80 percent of our
customers come back and buy another car from us.”
The competition
The Kia brand already
existed in the region prior to Fuccillo’s arrival. Galeana Kia, at 14483 S.
Tamiami Trail in Fort Myers and Airport Kia at 3325 Westview Drive, Naples,
each opened in 1996.
“I love him,” said
Greg Hood, general manager of Galeana Kia for the past two years. “When I was
offered this job, my boss said, ‘The No. 1 Kia dealer in the world is about 8.5
miles from you.’ When I came to the store, I knew that Kia products were so
well-branded in our market that I couldn’t fail. Billy Fuccillo came to town
and raised awareness. He spent an enormous amount of money. We’ve also been a
beneficiary of that.
“He has a
tried-and-proven formula. He floods the market, and they respond to it. The
difference between him and me is, first of all, it’s not my money.”
Hood said at first,
Fuccillo outsold Galeana Kia at a 10-to-1 clip. That has been narrowed, he
said, to about 2.5-to-1.
But Galeana Kia
doesn’t have to beat Fuccillo Kia to be successful, Hood said.
“His method was to
focus on new car sales,” Hood said. “He didn’t care as much about used cars. We
don’t do it that way. Our desire is to sell both, because they’re both good
markets.”
Lots of Soul
The Soul base model
starts at $16,100 with a manual transmission and $18,795 with an automatic,
although the dealership has various incentive programs that could drop those
prices. The new, fully loaded, “Exclaim” model Fuccillo drives goes for
about $26,500, minus incentives.
“I love the car,” said
Francesca Simonelli, 46, a Cape Coral yoga instructor. She has bought two Souls
from Fuccillo, a green one in 2012 and then a gray one last summer. “I love the
look of it. It’s all very practical for me.
“My credit was shot. I
had filed for bankruptcy. I knew if anybody was going to get me a car, it was
going to be that guy. He’s in it for the money, obviously. He was going to make
it work. It was like a dream come true.”
Lisa Terrill, 44, and
the manager of the Bayfront Bistro restaurant on Fort Myers Beach, bought her
green Soul from Fuccillo four years ago. Her Volkswagen Passat had been totaled
in an accident, hence the need for a new car. Her Soul from Fuccillo included a
trip to Miami Beach with a one-night stay in a resort and a party, another of
the dealership’s many promotions.
“At first, I was kind
of annoyed by all the commercials,” Terrill said. “But when it came down to it,
they had a good reputation or so many wouldn’t be purchasing it from them.
“I will tell you this,
I would take that car a million times on a road trip. It’s a smooth ride. It’s
very roomy on the inside. It’s like a SUV, really, but with great gas mileage.”
McCarter, Simonelli
and Terrill all said they had poor credit at the time of their purchases. Billy Fuccillo Kia
found them loans ranging from 72 to 75 months at interest rates between 4.9 and
6 percent.
The business of buying
and selling cars worked out for all parties.
Working the room
When Billy
Fuccillo visits his Cape Coral
dealership, he does not keep a low profile. He works the showroom, posing for
pictures with potential buyers. He hams it up with the sales staff.
In his office,
Fuccillo, a New York Yankees fan, has some sports memorabilia and posters and a
framed photograph of Robbie Knievel’s motorcycle jump.
Fuccillo defended his
dealership’s practice of selling cars to customers with low credit scores. He’s
aware of a negative article about that practice that has been floating around
on Facebook.
“How are you going to
get people financed?” Fuccillo said. “I think we did a lot of things to get the
community turned around, and they in turn, helped us. Sell cars, that’s what
we’re here to do.
“We don’t know what
transpires in their life. We work real hard to get them financed. So many
people are living week-to-week. We find them the best rates we can.”
Fuccillo finished a
photo shoot and then an on-camera interview. At the end, he was asked to do his
famous catchphrase.
“Catchphrase? What
catchphrase?” Fuccillo said, before looking into the camera and getting back
into character. “Southwest Florida, it’s
gonna be HUUUUU-JA!”
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