Neal and his brother
Linden Blue owned the Colorado and Western Properties firm in Colorado in the 1970s. William Mathews White Jr. sold his entire holdings in
Great Western United to Colorado and Western on the day he was forced to resign from his company in September 1971. White Jr. had spent the previous few years turning a pair of flour and sugar companies into a conglomerate, bringing in land marketing companies,
Shakey's Pizza, and more. After the stock deal, James Neal and C&W's Arthur T. Cowperthwaite were then elected to the Great Western board. By February 1972 White amended the statement, indicating he had sold just under half of his shares, but both James Neal and Cowperthwaite would remain on the board. Neal and Linden acquired
General Atomics in 1986 from
Chevron Oil for a reported $60 million. Neal serves as chairman and chief executive officer of
General Atomics, which specializes in diversified research, development and manufacturing in defense, energy and other advanced technology arenas. == Awards ==