Slow to pull out of the Great Recession of 2008, manufacturing in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts is picking up a head of steam.

That’s especially true in Stamford, Connecticut, home to Accurate Lock and Hardware. “On a revenue basis we’ve probably doubled compared to five years ago,” says Ron Salvatore, chairman at the firm.

Business is booming too at Laticrete, in Bethany, Connecticut. “A year ago—2016—was a record year,” says Sean Boyle, vice president of marketing.

Ira Moscowitz, director of advanced manufacturing programs at Mass Technology Collaborative, says manufacturing employment in Massachusetts has stabilized over the past five years, with compensation rising. “The average salary is about $20,000 higher than the state average,” he says.

At Excel Dryer in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, where the XLERATOR® Hand Dryer is made, the slowdown never even happened. “We’ve had 10 years of double-digit growth,” says Bill Gagnon, vice president of marketing.

Manufacturers are taking a second look and relocating to Rhode Island, according to Stefan Pryor, secretary at the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation. “We have new packages for smaller manufacturers: incentives like tax credits, job training, and innovation vouchers,” he says.

Business is thriving at Dryvit Systems in West Warwick, Rhode Island, as automation changes the way products are made. “The materials are being measured and inserted into blenders controlled by computers,” says Barbara Catlow, director of marketing communication, “so we don’t need someone to pour and scoop or measure raw material.”

For southern New England, 2017 is looking like the year of the comeback.