Louisiana contractors are equally optimistic. Ken Flower, vice president at Woodward Design+Build, New Orleans, says the company is capitalizing on a wide range of opportunities. Last year, the company broke ground on the $50-million Yulman Stadium at Tulane University, New Orleans. Designed by Gould Evans Architects, the new stadium will accommodate up to 30,000 people. The team is targeting LEED-Silver certification.

The firm also is working on the $200-million New Orleans South Market District downtown project, which broke ground in June. Plans for the four-block development call for 600 apartments and 170,000 sq ft of retail space. It is being built in two phases, starting with the $48.4-million Paramount at South Market mixed-use project.

Flower says the company sees an echo of new projects resonating from megaprojects in the state.

"In New Orleans, we have two major hospitals under construction and there is a lot of activity being generated outside of those projects with private developers," he says. "We see smaller medical developments, small commercial projects and mixed-use residential projects."

Mike Polito, president of MAPP Construction, Baton Rouge, sees a similar trend. The company is aiming at work with several companies that service the booming petrochemical industry.

"The service industries to the oil and gas companies are spending money," he says. "They are expanding to get prepared for this run-up over the next three to five years. We're seeing office work around that. Following that, we see developers starting to talk about retail work."

Like many firms, Polito says MAPP expects to book a strong 2014.

"It looks like we'll be flat in 2013, but certain jobs could book quick in this kind of a market," he says. "In 2014, we'll see a surge in revenue and that could mean a good 2015 too."