By Cliff Peale
The Cincinnti Enquirer

In his seven-week tenure, Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has spent day and night watching film of wide receivers, defensive tackles and cornerbacks. But unlike any Bengals coach in memory, he's also taken time to schmooze with the source of much of the franchise's profit margin: corporate customers who paid for luxury boxes and club seats.

Less than a month after taking the job, Lewis asked team public affairs director Jeff Berding for a list of suite holders. He's already sent them a letter outlining his plans for the team and had a small reception for sponsors, including companies such as Provident Bank and Budweiser.

Another letter went out last week to club-seat holders. In it, Lewis drew a direct connection between the support from premium seats and the team's competitiveness on the field.

"You are an important premium customer for our organization," he wrote. "Your support as a club seat patron matters greatly and provides critical revenue that allows us to be active in free agency."

"He gets it," Berding said of Lewis. "His appreciation for all the different areas involved with running an NFL team, he understands all of them."

The handholding is no doubt welcome in the local boardrooms where many suite and club-seat holders have been complaining bitterly about the team's performance.

There are about 100 luxury suites leased, with the contracts starting to come up for renewal in three seasons.

E-mail cpeale@enquirer.com

Return to Bengals front page...