Orange County

Room to Grow? Stocks of smaller companies have been off Wall Street’s radar screen lately, as many investors continue to flock to blue-chip names. Managers of about 80 small companies--many of them based in California--will try to persuade about 350 institutional investors that there are still bargains in small outfits. The occasion is the Southern California Growth Stock Conference to be held today and Tuesday at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Dana Point. About 350 institutional investors are expected at the conference, the eighth annual small-stock show sponsored by Cruttenden Roth, an Irvine-based investment banking firm. The registration fee is $250 per person. For more information, call (714) 757-5700.