Springfield Tech Council is celebrating five years, and I’m proud that this anniversary is ending with something much larger than an event recap: Missouri House Resolution 4330 has been passed and presented in honor of STC’s impact on Springfield, southwest Missouri, and the state’s technology economy.
The resolution, presented by State Representative Betsy Fogle and passed with a rare unanimous vote, recognizes STC for helping advance cutting-edge innovation, workforce development, and economic growth in Missouri’s technology sector. That kind of state recognition matters. It says clearly that the work we are doing here belongs in the larger Missouri technology story.
The language of the resolution gets close to what we set out to build. It recognizes STC as a conduit for key stakeholders in the growing community of digital innovators across southwest Missouri, and it traces the organization back to the strategic alliance between the Association of IT Professionals and the Mid-America Technology Alliance.
That history matters because STC was built from a real gap. Springfield had founders, engineers, designers, educators, students, cybersecurity teams, healthcare technology, manufacturing technology, and operators doing serious work, but the region needed a clearer voice and a stronger center of gravity.
This year shows what that center of gravity can do. STC Squared drew more than 700 technology professionals, students, and industry leaders, with 750 registered attendees and the largest speaker lineup in the event’s history. Springfield Tech Week added 20 partner-led events across the community. The organization now represents more than 1,000 members from more than 100 organizations.
For me, this is the point of the work: not networking for its own sake, but building durable civic and professional infrastructure around a technology community that can shape the future of the region and contribute meaningfully to Missouri’s economy.
Five years in, STC is no longer an idea we have to explain. It is a recognized institution with real momentum, statewide credibility, and a growing role in how Springfield and Missouri understand technology, talent, innovation, workforce, and economic development.
