Oregon Business

While automakers are toiling to produce electric cars that will fit the demands of American drivers, Ashland-based Barefoot Motors is on the verge of turning out heavy-duty ATVs that can go 50 miles on a charge costing about 90 cents.

Eric Larson, 17, of Eugene, Ore., won the top prize, a $100,000 scholarship for his project classifying mathematical objects called fusion categories.

Created by the Legislature in 1989, the board is responsible for keeping Oregonians focused on achieving the quality-of-life goals in the state’s 20-year strategic vision, Oregon Shines.

To get a sense of where the pain points are greatest, BusinessWeek.com came up with a list of the 20 unhappiest cities.

The company remanufactures helicopters from existing Sikorsky hulls for use in fighting wildfires, logging timber, positioning drilling rigs and moving construction materials.

There’s so much opportunity in China, even the little guy can win big jobs.

Oregon’s economy is putting at risk Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s aggressive plans for tackling global warming.

Why be CEO when you can call yourself Chief Wisdom Officer? President sounds pretty dull, compared with Consultant of Leisure. And unlike a receptionist, a Director of Smiles can spread cheer with her nameplate alone.

SolarWorld employs more than 2,200 worldwide, including about 400 at its $440 million Hillsboro factory, which opened in October to produce solar crystals, wafers and cells. The plant, billed as the largest solar factory in the Americas, is capable of producing enough material each year to generate 100 megawatts of electricity.

Portland’s much-loathed free Wi-Fi network formally gave up the ghost in June. Its antennas continue to haunt streetlights around town; defunct contractor MetroFi opted to abandon them.