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174 NE W HAMPSHIRE: First in the Nation • Profiles in Excellence Common Man Concord opened its doors that fall. A test of the resolve and drive of the Common Man family came in the summer of 2001, when an arsonist burned down the Common Man Lincoln. e shock and loss was felt throughout the company. Staff was kept on and loaned to other C-MAN family restaurants. e new restaurant – re-built in just 60 days – is a match of the historic home and barn that housed the original, with a few subtle improvements, including meeting and event space on the second level. In 2001/2002, the Common Man family undertook a huge challenge. ey took a 60,000-square-foot defunct wood mill in the town of Plymouth and, retaining 90 percent of the original building, ingeniously transformed it into the 38-room Common Man Inn & Spa, Foster's Boiler Room restaurant and event facility. e Common Man Inn & Spa has won "Grow Smart" and Main Street awards, and provides what many consider to be a new center for the town of Plymouth. Next up for e Common Man family was opening Lakehouse Grille in Church Landing at Mill Falls in Meredith in 2004, serving creative American cuisine in an Adirondack-style dining room. In July of 2005, the Common Man family turned to a new project – a Common Man Restaurant in Merrimack, NH. Hannah Jack's Tavern was purchased, and to the great excitement of the Merrimack community, the team set to work renovating the former home of Matthew ornton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Just as the Merrimack project was finishing up, ground broke on the Airport Diner in Manchester, in the Holiday Inn on Brown Avenue. Since opening in December of 2005, the '50s-style diner has quickly become a favorite with locals and travelers alike. In June 2009, growth continued with the renovation Breaking ground on the new state welcome centers on Interstate 93 in Hooksett, NH in October 2013 are from left, Paul Browning, president and CEO of Irving Oil; Alex Ray, owner of The Common Man restaurants in New Hampshire; Jeff Downing, owner of CCI Construction; NH Gov. Maggie Hassan; and Rusty McLear, owner of Mill Falls at the Lake in Meredith, NH and partner on the project with Ray. "Our Welcome Center is the only one of its kind we know of in the U.S. to feature an all-local food court." THE COMMON MAN continued from previous page >>