About J. Elias O’Neal

Thank you for checking out my website!

I’m currently a business reporter for Richmond BizSense, an online business news publication that covers a variety of topics for the growing metro Richmond,Virginia area.

I cover commercial real estate and restaurants for our website — two beats that keep me very busy, and is heavily consumed by our readership of nearly 15,000 patrons.

Prior to joining Richmond BizSense, I worked at several publications (big and small) throughout Texas and the mid-Atlantic; including the Daily Press in Newport News, Virginia; the Greater Wilmington Business Journal in Wilmington, North Carolina; and the Austin American-Statesman in Austin, Texas.

I’m a native Texan, true and through. I grew up in a small town 45 minutes south of downtown Dallas; but also was raised in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana; and Florence, South Carolina.

Since graduating from the University of North Texas in 2007, I’ve enjoyed a storied journalism career.

I’ve covered several news topics ranging from homicides and solider burials, to major job announcements and various economic trends impacting residents at the local and state levels.

When I’m not chasing down daily stories, I’m working on a few fiction essays loosely related to my upbringing in exurban Texas; and driving down to South Carolina to audio record my grandparents’ accounts of growing up in the segregated South and their migration to New York City in 1950s. Eventually, I would like to take those recordings and write a book about their journey and sacrifices for future generations of our family.

My other hobbies include watching indie films, listening to underground and house music, running, swimming, and of course reading — mainly bibliographies of historically significant people and events, climate change, current political events; and economic development and urban planning trends.

I’m proud of the career I have maintained — growing and learning something new from each challenge, each journey, every year.

With every year comes the quest to learn something new, and to be pushed further, whether that be in the journalism field  or something out of the mix.

With more than 10 years in “the biz,” I’ve learned quite a bit about people, businesses and the trends that impact them all. Much like my career, everything is in evolution. If you’re not growing, if you’re not willing to learn something new, if you’re not willing to step outside the confines of your comfort zone, you stunt your growth as a professional and a person.

Everyday is another adventure to get up and be, and do, something great for your fellow man and yourself. It’s how I live my best life and is something I hope I can pass along through my reporting and writing.

Please reach out to me if you happen to have any questions. My email address is jamaal.oneal@gmail.com.

– J. Elias O’Neal