CARBONDALE ” Business owners in the Roaring Fork Valley are faced with many of the same issues as their counterparts in other small towns across the country: an uncertain economy, attracting visitors and tourism, competing with big-box retailers, and, of course, running a profitable business.

On Friday, a full-day conference, “The Economics of a Successful Business,” will be hosted by the Carbondale Community Chamber of Commerce, with support from the Carbondale Economic Development Council, Colorado Mountain College, and the Town of Carbondale.

Conference participants will hear about the challenges other businesses have faced and brainstorm practical ideas to use in their businesses.

The keynote speaker is David Birzon, the vice president of operations of Paradise Bakery.

He will discuss “How local communities and businesses create and capitalize on opportunities” and focus on the macro-economic issues of the local community and the micro-economic issues of the individual businesses. His presentation includes a 12-minute video developed for the managers of the 35 Paradise locations.

Jennifer Phelan, city planner of Salida, and Don Jackson, president of the Chaffee County Visitors Bureau, will describe some of the challenges they faced in addressing local issues such as use of funds from the lodging tax, establishing a water park, building the local economy with help from visitors and tourists, leveraging recreation, capitalizing on location and generating interest in the arts.

Panelists from successful area businesses will also share their keys to success and lessons learned. They will be Steve Meyer with Shaw Construction, Charlie Chacos with the Village Smithy, Vicki Peterson with Ace Hardware and Nawzad Othman with Otak.

In the afternoon, conference participants will break into small work groups led by members of the business panel to brainstorm practical ideas and share information about marketing, day-to-day operations, and other business concerns.

Walk-in registration begins at Carbondale Town Hall at 8 a.m., and the closing reception begins at 4 p.m. The fee is $35 for Carbondale Chamber members and $45 for nonmembers. Information: 963-1890.

” Randi Lowenthal is the executive director of the Carbondale Community Chamber of Commerce.