Manufacturing has given way to technology as the economic sector people associate with growth, but that didn’t stop married couple Tom and Sarah Click from founding Patriot Aluminum Products, a Louisa-based manufacturer of aluminum conduits, in 2010.

What began in late 2010 in a Charlottesville building with one machine, one contract and one employee — Tom Click — has moved, grown to 45 employees, and is expanding its product lines.

Tom Click has a background in business and aluminum manufacturing, and his wife, Sarah, has an industrial engineering degree and an additional job at Accenture. They realized there weren’t other domestic manufacturers of aluminum conduit, which is needed at construction sites and takes a long time to import.

Finding that niche and running with it made Patriot one of the fastest-growing companies in the nation, according to Inc. magazine’s Inc. 5000 list.

The company, not among the government contracting or technology sectors which dominated the rankings, was listed as the 1,736th fastest-growing company in 2015. Patriot made it to that spot with a three-year growth rate of 232 percent. The company reached $15.9 million in revenue in 2014 and added 32 jobs.

Patriot also launched two new conduit product lines last year: stainless steel and galvanized metal.

Most would consider the heyday of American manufacturing jobs to be long gone. The industry was in decline before the Great Recession hit, and dropped quickly after that. Data from the Federal Reserve show it still hasn’t climbed back to those levels.

The latest data show manufacturing output grew nearly 2 percentage points less than previously estimated in both 2012 and 2013, and nearly 1 point less in 2014.

Virginia, though, has a more optimistic outlook on manufacturing returning as an economic driver.

In July, Gov. Terry McAuliffe addressed the Walmart Manufacturing Summit and provided an update on manufacturing in the commonwealth.

He touted Virginia’s location in the mid-Atlantic region and access to ports as an advantage and shared that 5,800 manufacturers employing more than 240,000 workers make their homes in the state.

He also said that Virginia is experiencing the nationwide trend of on-shoring manufacturing jobs—such as Patriot Aluminum creating electrical conduit domestically—is bringing employment back from overseas.

“It is critical that we advance this important industry that is key to economic growth,” McAuliffe said.

Click agreed.

“There’s no reason manufacturing shouldn’t be strong, especially in Virginia,” he said.

He moved the business to Louisa County in May 2014 after Patriot ran out of space in Charlotesville. He said they were attracted by the county’s low tax rates and local officials’ willingness to work with them on building a headquarters.

Click feels the biggest hurdle to begin manufacturing is the startup cost. Patriot Aluminum Products currently has more than $3 million in equipment in its factory.

He said the market for what they do is small—about $300 million per year is spent on aluminum conduit—but by keeping up-to-date with technology and offering next-day service, he thinks he can beat the international competition.

To provide faster service, Patriot also maintains inventories in New Jersey, Chicago, Boston, Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, Louisville, Tampa and Phoenix.

For the Clicks, doing business “the classic, American way” is also a priority.

They make an effort to hire veterans and ship out a copy of the Constitution with new orders.

They also aim to keep clients through good customer service.

“We hear time and again when we call and talk to customers that it reminds them of the old days,” Click said.

And while the conduit Patriot produces is at the same price point as its competitors, Click said he doesn’t deviate from the highest industry standards.

He hopes that one day their three children, all under the age of 10, will get involved in the business.

To do that, Patriot is expanding again next year. Click is planning a line of aluminum solar equipment-mounting products.

“I’m here to make this business last a long time,” he said.