Porstmouth Local Helps Businesses Through Second Job

by Michael Bruton

People tend to cherish weekends and vacation time because it gives them a break from their hectic work schedules. Portsmouth local Tamela Moore loves weekends and vacation time from her full-time human resources job, because it gives her time to work more. Huh? Tamela admits that she “pretty much has two full time jobs.” She has one in HR for a government agency and the other as the sole employee of Accomplish Moore Enterprises LLC.

“I probably work about 70-80 hours a week with both jobs,” says Tamela. “One day I hope my speaking job is successful enough to be my only one.”

Through Accomplish Moore, Tamela gives keynote addresses and sponsors workshops for small businesses, non-profit organizations and government agencies. Some of her programs last two hours, while others can range up to six, depending on the needs of the client.

The speeches are primarily on proper hiring practices and consist of Tamela speaking and then answering questions. The workshops are much more interactive, though, with Tamela guiding clients through a series of activities to get to the root of any communication problems they are having.

“I lead hiring workshops, personality assessment activities, give speeches; pretty much whatever a client needs me for,” says Tamela.

Tamela runs Accomplish Moore out of her home, but she has gotten the opportunity to help clients all over Ohio and in parts of West Virginia. She is looking to expand to new territories (a potential client in Chicago is in the works), but it is difficult because Accomplish Moore relies solely on word-of mouth testimony to attract future clients. On the flipside, the business’s growth is all the more impressive without any true advertising.

“It’s so exciting. I have only been in business since 2004 and don’t advertise, but I have had a positive impact on most of the groups I have worked with so I have been successful,” Tamela says. “Cleveland loves me for some reason,” she adds with a laugh.

Although Accomplish Moore is Tamela’s passion and she hopes it one day is her sole means of income, she does not want people to get the wrong idea.

“I love my HR job, and it has helped me with my speaking career. As long as I need to, I will do both until I physically can’t handle the hours anymore.” And when she can’t, she travels.

“Traveling is what I like to do most during my off time,” Tamela says, citing Orlando and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. “I am trying to plan a fun trip for this September, and I am taking my mother for a birthday cruise in February of next year.”

But as nice as that sounds and as much as Tamela likes to travel, she just cannot resist putting her time off to productive use. “I love volunteering for my church, Bigelow Church, and I am also very active with the Scioto County Chamber of Commerce,” says Tamela. “What can I say, I just can’t help being involved in the community. It’s fun for me!”

Ye Olde Lantern Restaurant

by Ben Thurman

Web Editor

The restaurant and tavern Ye Olde Lantern has a long and detailed history. The building itself was built back during the Civil War and a variety of businesses have called the old brick structure home since then. As I arrive, driving through winding roads into Portsmouth, none of that matters. A restaurant’s history can only serve as an interesting side dish to the delectable main course of delicious food. If the meals don’t stand the test of taste, then it might as well have opened yesterday.

The interior of the building is a bit of a dichotomy. In the front, elegant glass windows overlook the street. The tables are like those you’d see at a fancy restaurant you’d take your date out to, if you had the money. Toward the back the décor changes into the bright reds of a sports bar dedicated to the Buckeyes. Memorabilia bedecked the walls and the restroom doors were painted into bright murals of sports figures in action.

The walls were eclectically decorated with nods to the antiquity of the building. Old license plates, antiques and a curious bust of a sea captain were scattered about the place. I took my seat in a leather booth towards the back and prepared to feast.

The menu was a little pricey. Not too bad, but low double digits for the main entrees. Being the self-titled sultan of slurp, I was disappointed to find they had no soup options. The menu was small, but diverse. Traditional steaks and salads rubbed shoulders with liver and egg rolls. I ordered some Cajun wings for an appetizer and fettuccine alfredo for the main course. The wings were excellent. Large and juicy with just enough heat to tickle your nose hairs, but not enough to broil your tongue, ruining the taste buds for any food to come.

The salad I didn’t know was coming came next. The greens were nothing special; your standard iceberg lettuce, carrot and cabbage affair. But the house dressing was unusually good, a sweet and sour syrup that made a plain salad something to remember. The friendly waitress delivered diet pepsi after diet pepsi, which I guzzled eagerly.

When the main course arrived, I understood the reason for the high price. Served in a fun blue edged bowl and dusted with paprika, it was a colossal pile of pasta. The bowl itself was deep, so deep I realized the noodles reaching for the ceiling were only the tip of the Italian iceberg I was about to devour. Minutes later it had me at its mercy. My belly was bursting and I’d barely made a dent. When next I saw the waitress, I surrendered and got a box.

I didn’t plan on having dessert, full to combusting as I was, but the lemon silk pie sounded too intriguing to pass up. Delighted, I found it was the best part of an already impressive meal. Light as air, it contained a slight tart punch which balanced out the sweetness of the graham cracker crust. When life gives you lemons, apparently make a pie, cliché’s be darned.