Bristol, Virginia-based Strongwell reported rising demand for its fiber-reinforced polymer composites in 2017 that coincided with “an uptick in oil and gas and commercial construction,” says Barry Myers, Strongwell’s corporate marketing manager.

Meanwhile in Georgia, Georgia Manufacturing Alliance CEO Jason Moss says, “Wages are increasing, because we’re all competing for the same people.”

Yet there are signs things are starting to cool. MTI Baths, a supplier of bath fixtures in Sugar Hill, Georgia, reports its double-digit annual growth halted, with a recent housing slowdown. “One reason is that the cost of materials is soaring,” CEO Kathy Adams says. Another: millennials aren’t buying enough houses to fuel the market. The spector of tariffs and renegotiated trade deals is not helping, says Stephen Moret, president and CEO at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. “We’re seeing activity, but uncertainty makes economic development less resilient,” he says.