BELFAST – Maine Businesses for Social Responsibility’s Third Annual Fall Conference will be held Oct. 1 at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast.

Conference attendees will hear nationally recognized keynote speakers Roxanne Quimby, founder of Burt’s Bees, and Michael Shuman, author of Going Local and vice president of Enterprise Development at Bucksport-based Training & Development Corp.

The conference keynotes will gather with almost two dozen presenters to provide a full day of workshops, networking, and business development appropriate for first-time entrepreneurs as well as chief executive officers of Maine’s largest firms. Key local workshops will explore alternatives to the “Big Box” stores (a hot local topic) and will offer a survey of Waldo County’s economic “leakages” and potential related business opportunities.

Another workshop will feature Nicaraguan-native Yadira Vallejos, who will offer her perspective on sustainable outsourcing for Maquiladora Muheres, a clothing co-op based in Nicaragua.

Other conference topics range from how to make e-marketing affordable, develop client loyalty, and balance professional growth with retention, to exploring business triumphs and hurdles experienced by some of the organization’s past Eagle Feather Award winners.

Special additions to this year’s conference also include a “30-Second Marketplace of Ideas,” a “Learning Lunch” with topic tables, and tours of area businesses.

To register for the conference, or for information on becoming a member, phone 338-8908. Full conference details can be found at www.MEBSR.org.