JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A bipartisan group of lawmakers joined business leaders to express optimism over Missouri’s increasing role in the technology sector.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the sponsor of Wednesday morning’s event at the Capitol, says the state is expected to be a top ten state for tech manufacturing over the next five years.

“This is looking at things like manufacturing, semiconductors and computer chips,” said Missouri Chamber CEO Kara Corches. “Those high tech items that we need to make sure that we’re able to operate in a modern economy.”

Corches referenced her organization’s “Technology2030” report, part of the foundation’s overall strategic plan for the next several years. She also spoke about the bipartisan support that technology has in the Missouri Legislature.

“This is a great showing in this hyperpolarized world that there are a lot of issues that bring legislators across the aisle together,” Corches said. “One of those things is tech and innovation.”

A leader in that industry working in Missouri said Wednesday Missouri fosters an environment for tech growth.

“Technology is a very important piece,” said Flavia D’Souza, co-founder of Sentio Pharmaceutical Manufacturing. “We can actually move faster.”

“We can do things at a smaller scale, we don’t need large plants,” she said. “We can do it in smaller plants.”

The Missouri Chamber Foundation said that the technology industry brought in more than 14-thousand new jobs in the last five years.

‘We know that our tech and innovation sector is so vital to the vibrancy of our state’s economy,” Corches said.”Tech accounts for five percent of Missouri’s total employment and ten percent of the state’s gross product.”

The Democrat leader in the Missouri House argued being a member of the Legislative Technology Innovation Caucus doesn’t come with party labels.

“We’ve got legislators not only who understand it, but who are willing to learn about it and who are willing to come together,” said State Rep. Ashley Aune, D-Kansas City. “Learn from business leaders, learn from the chamber, learn from one another in our own personal experiences in business.”