In the past, Neal has worked for several different contractors in Lawrence as a framing or finishing carpenter and job superintendent after high school. He attended KU while continuing to work in construction during the summers. In December 1988, he received a BS in Engineering Physics. While studying for his MS in Electrical Engineering, Neal was hired by the Rockwell Shuttle Operations Company at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where he worked for two and a half years on the Space Shuttle Program. He returned to Lawrence in 1992 and became president of Ezell-Morgan Construction.

Neal currently teaches continuing education classes on building codes for contractors and codes officials in the greater Kansas City area. He served on the Energy Efficiency Building Codes Working Group for the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) and is a past President of the Lawrence Home Builders Association. He has served two terms on the Building Code Board of Appeals for the city of Lawrence, Kansas. He has now returned to this board as the city is preparing to adopt the 2024 International Codes. Neal also serves on the Historic Resources Commission for the city of Lawrence.

Neal has extensive knowledge of structural engineering and wall bracing code. He is also an expert in energy efficient design.