Local business owners recently packed a conference room at the Grand Vista Hotel in Simi Valley with hopes of getting in on new business opportunities the Simi Valley Town Center mall might bring their way.

The forum was a joint effort between the mall’s developer, Forest City, and the Small Business Advisory Committee. The committee, comprised of City Councilmember Steve Sojka and local business owners, was formed to help businesses thrive in the shadow of the 640,000-square-foot mall.

Small business owners from Simi Valley and Moorpark were invited to the free forum last month to receive a list of the mall’s tenants and, in turn, submit information about their businesses. That information will be compiled into a directory that will be mailed to the tenants.

Sixty-four retailers so far have signed leases with the mall. And when it opens, the mall is expected to have about 180 tenants, which will include stores on the fringes of the core mall area.

Jim Purtee, assistant city manager, said the business directory is expected to be completed this month and sent out to tenants.

"We wanted . . . to give local businesses the first shot at it by being in this directory," said Purtee.

Randy Wheeler was among the 150 people who attended the forum.

"I think it was a great idea," said the management accounting firm president. "You don’t often see major developers pulling in local businesses.

However, Wheeler said, the number of business opportunities the mall will bring to the area is bound to be limited.

Before opening Pathfinder Metrics nearly three years ago, Wheeler worked for a national chain. He noticed that when the chain opened a new store, they generally came in with their own contractors for the services and construction they needed.

"It’s going to be difficult for a small business (here) . . . because these agreements are already in place," he said. "I just don’t see much of an opportunity there."

Although Wheeler left the forum feeling skeptical about the opportunities that will be available for local businesses, the effort to get local businesses involved with mall tenants was "admirable," he said.

Dan Furgang also attended the forum. He’s the sole employee of Dan’s Computer Services, which has operated out of Simi Valley for 10 years. He hopes the mall tenants will call him to set up their software programs and network their cash registers.

"Any exposure is good exposure, for the most part," Furgang said.

The Simi Valley Town Center mall is slated to open in October.