As an undergraduate majoring in speech, Chris Oneal (’91) tutored business majors who he recalls were terrified of talking in front of other people. With his minors in women’s studies and theatre, Oneal was at ease speaking in front of diverse audiences and realized that would give him an advantage in the business world over those lacking advanced communication skills.
“I was just a kid at the time, but I thought, ‘How are you going to do business presentations and sales pitches and stand in front of somebody and talk?’” he said.
For Oneal, the speech, logic, and rhetoric foundation he built as a student in the Speech Communications Department—which has since become part of the School of Communication Studies—contributed to his success as owner and CEO of Stones River Consulting, a custom Third-Party Administrator for 401(k) plan business. That success was recognized this year with a Rocky Top Business Award from the UT Foundation, marking the second time Stones River Consulting made the cut as one of the fastest growing businesses owned or ran by University of Tennessee, Knoxville, alumni. Oneal’s business also won the award was in 2023, which was the last time these biannual honors were given out.
A Growing Business
The first time he won a Rocky Top Business Award, it was a complete surprise to the entrepreneur. His wife, Dena Oneal, and the company’s accountant had made the submission to nominate Stones River Consulting, which requires businesses to provide extensive information that is audited by a reputable agency to confirm how much each business has grown.
“It was certainly nice and very much appreciated. Being in the room and talking to some of the other people who won, there’s a lot of really smart people just in that one room, just from the conversations there was a lot to learn,” Oneal said, noting that the businesses represented a wide and interesting range of industries and ideas.
While developing retirement plans for small businesses is part of a mature industry, Oneal has often been on the forefront of implementing innovative practices that contribute to Stones River Consulting’s success. For example, his company is fully digital and its workers are remote, and it’s been that way since he opened shop in 2011.
“Being solely digital from the get-go, it was more challenging early on looking for software and such that was cloud-based when not as many were or finding those ways to have a digital filing cabinet for staff to find and save files. We had to work that out,” he said. “I would go to conferences and tell people we were remote, and they told me nobody wants to work remotely, that it will never be a thing. I told them it was working just fine. Then, when Covid hit, we already had it figured out.”
To make his digital company successful, Oneal leaned heavily on what he knew about internal communications to ensure the processes, platforms, and people he was working with were optimal. His understanding of interpersonal communication means going the extra step to ensure he’s conveying his tone and meaning clearly, especially as most of their work is conducted in writing. His digital approach has allowed him to find the best candidates for jobs at Stones River Consulting, which he said has contributed to the company’s growth.
But Oneal’s success isn’t all about keeping an eye on cutting-edge technology—though he is already following the rise of artificial intelligence and the role that will play in his industry. Instead, it is his knack for finding opportunities and establishing connections that has proven most beneficial to Stones River Consulting’s expansion.
For example, he recognized his competitors were generally targeting the same companies in the area around Murfreesboro and Nashville, where he is located. So, Oneal began looking outside that area and approaching potential clients in smaller cities and more rural communities such as Tullahoma, Cookeville, Crossville, and Pulaski.
“If everybody sets up deer stands in the same field, somebody is going hungry,” he said.
He also established symbiotic relationships with financial investment companies where advisors share leads with him, and he returns the favor.
“We’re both hunting the same thing; I do the plans, and they hold the money. I had to learn, it wasn’t easy, but I had to learn how to ask for referrals. So, when I talk to a Morgan-Stanley advisor I’ll say, ‘Hey is there anyone else who might use our services?’” he said.
The Language of Doing Business
As his business has grown, so has the territory it covers. Once again, Oneal falls back on the foundational communication tools he learned as a student and polished as a professional, which includes knowing your audience. For example, when he speaks to people in the northeast, he starts with business and ends with personal notes in the conversation. However, that cadence doesn’t apply when he’s talking with fellow Southerners.
“If you’re doing business in Montgomery, then you have a very different conversation than doing business with someone in Philadelphia. I’m a Southerner, so I’m much happier to save the business part until the end; business is about trust as much as it is about anything,” he said.
Though he was quick to note that the gloves come off when he’s working with clients in Alabama—which make up almost half his base—and college football comes into the conversation.
“I joke that we’ll get along fine if we don’t talk about football,” Oneal said with a good-natured chuckle.
The Vol for life said his education didn’t stop when he graduated and he has continued to stay involved in networking groups that help him hone elevator pitches and presentations. He pointed out that, just because he’s a seasoned public speaker doesn’t mean he’s on top of all current trends, so he seeks out opportunities to learn and stay on his toes.
He said knowing how to talk to anyone has been one of his greatest tools in business and said that using logic and rhetoric to determine if someone is acting in good faith or not has been just as invaluable. His speech education forced him to think critically and quickly, which Oneal said allows him to make good judgment calls when working with other people.
“The ability to speak publicly and to work on those interpersonal and public speaking skills with logic and rhetoric to make sure people aren’t trying to play games on you is very important,” he said. “I can honestly say that speech communication has helped me a lot in that one, there’s a lot of focus on logic. When presented with something in the business world, an opportunity or not, I can run it through some of the logic drills I was taught.”
While he credits his alma mater with giving him a great set of skills that helped him build a successful business, there is one element to his success that can’t really be taught but he has found vital: “Anyone who wants to go into business for themselves, the best advice I can give them is never make decisions based on fear. Fear will stop you from taking that step.”