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For business heavy hitters: How suite it isBy KYLE PARKS and LENNIE BENNETT © St. Petersburg Times, published April 1, 1998 The cost: $85,000 a year. "It's a way to just have some fun and also give back to the community," said Mason, co-founder of the Hops Grill & Bar restaurant chain, sold last year for $56.5-million. As a luxury suite owner at Tropicana Field, Mason is part of an eclectic mix. Sure, heavy hitters like Florida Progress, NationsBank and Danka have suites. But many suites are occupied by smaller companies, doctors, lawyers, accountants and entrepreneurs. And many of the suites are being shared, with companies or individuals splitting a cost that ranges from $45,000 to $140,000 for the 81 home games. For instance, Raymond James Financial Inc. is sharing a suite with Eckerd Corp., and Time Warner Communications is splitting its costs with the Carlton Fields law firm. The sharing of suites tells a lot about the Tampa Bay area as a corporate center. "There's a limited number of large corporations with headquarters in this community," said Raymond James spokesman Larry Silver. "And many of them feel compelled to have a presence with the Rays, Lightning and Bucs. These are not cheap tickets, so that's why companies share the boxes." Suites on the first level, mostly owned by large companies like GTE, Tech Data and Great Bay Distributors, run from $125,000 to $140,000 a year. On the second level, the average price is about $83,000. The Rays signed tenants to five- to 10-year deals. Each suite holds a maximum of 16 people, so the average suite costs about $64 a game per spectator -- comparable to the cost of the best box seats. Most of the companies' suites were filled with high-level executives, their families and friends for Tuesday's opening game, but they'll also be used to entertain clients and reward employees. Tropicana North America, Outback Steakhouse and Danka will be offering some of their suite tickets to employees during the season. Some tickets will go to top performers; others will be raffled. "Look at the cost of taking a family to a game," said Danka CEO Dan Doyle, who has an ownership stake in the Rays. "Many people can't afford it. So if we can allow some of our employees to take advantage of this, it's great." The suites offer an excellent view of the field, but they are hardly plush. Each box has one or two TVs, with 10 or so fixed seats in front, a bar area and a refrigerator. Only a few have their own bathrooms. The look is functional, and most tenants have done little so far to spruce them up. Hops co-founder Mason is a notable exception. He put in a custom bar and had a liquor cabinet made with four Devil Rays souvenir bats. Unlike Mason, many companies and individuals simply don't have the time or the money to own a box individually. HealthPlan Services is sharing a suite with Price Waterhouse and two other companies. The idea was hatched by former Price Waterhouse managing director Jerry Dingle and HealthPlan Services CEO Jack Murray Jr., who met years ago when they coached a Little League team in Tampa. Eckerd Corp. went about finding a partner more formally. The company knew it wanted to share a suite, said Eckerd CEO Frank Newman, so an exec started contacting area companies. Since former Eckerd CEO Stewart Turley and Raymond James' Tom James are friends, a deal was struck. The cost of owning a luxury suite doesn't include food and drink. Folks can order everything from a basket of chips and dip ($25) to a honey ham ($120) or an order of crab cakes ($98). But the most popular item, said concessionaire Volume Services, is the basic hot dog platter. Chalk one up to tradition. The Volume Services caterers have had an interesting couple of weeks. They've had to tell several suite owners that birthday candles aren't allowed -- open flames aren't allowed in the stadium. And they had to alert the police a week-and-a-half ago that some suite holders were sneaking booze into the NCAA Tournament basketball games, a no-no. But things were running smoothly Tuesday night, and the suite owners seemed thrilled with their seats and the service. "This is so cool, literally," said Dr. Larry Gnage, whose St. Petersburg-based All Florida Orthopedic Specialists has a suite. "It's air-conditioned, you have a great view, you can see the TVs." Many corporate executives have season tickets elsewhere in the stadium. For instance, Florida Progress chairman Jack Critchfield was in the company suite Tuesday, but he'll be with wife Mary and 31/2-month-old baby Austi in other seats the rest of the season. "She's the youngest season ticket holder at Tropicana Field," joked Critchfield.
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T. PETERSBURG -- Clearwater entrepreneur David Mason will be watching Tampa Bay Devil Rays games for the next 10 years from his own luxury suite.
