William A. Brandt Jr.

William “Bill” Arthur Brandt Jr passed away on May 28th at the age of 73, surrounded by family. Bill was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 5th, 1949, to William Sr. and Joan Brandt. Always on the move, he considered himself a man of many homes, and loved the nomadic lifestyle his work required as he grew his company, Development Specialists, Inc. (DSI) into a leading corporate restructuring consultancy with offices around the country.

An accomplished athlete, he was an alternate to the 1964 Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo – but by his own account the entire swim team would have had to go missing before he would have been put on a plane. Bill received his SCUBA certification in 1969 and used that skill to dive for municipal rescue services while an undergrad. Later, in college, he worked as a door-to-door salesman for Kirby Vacuum Cleaners and once won the salesman-of-the-year award from the local distributor. His introductory spiel to customers was: “Brandt is the name; dirt sucking’s the game.”

From 1972 through 1973 Brandt worked for UNESCO with his sociology professor, Steve Vago, who became a lifelong friend. Their travels for work and leisure took them all over Europe including East Berlin and notably Croatia where he ended up an extra in the film Fiddler on the Roof.

He graduated from St. Louis University in 1971 with a BA in Sociology. In 1972, he earned his MA from the University of Chicago where he completed all but his dissertation towards a PhD in Sociology. Amidst that graduate degree pursuit, Bill was introduced to the corporate restructuring world while helping his father’s business, triggering a pivot in his career plans.

Establishing his firm DSI in 1976, he became a pioneer in the corporate restructuring and bankruptcy consulting industry. He took that knowledge to promote improvements to Federal bankruptcy laws, that sought to keep the bankruptcy processes streamlined, fair and economically accessible to everyone. Case by case, he strove to save as many jobs as possible.

In 2008, while already serving as trustee of Loyola University, Chicago, he was appointed chair of the Illinois Finance Authority (IFA). He would go on to harness the influence of those two positions to launch a program which he considered one of his greatest achievements. In 2013, the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine became the first medical school in the U.S. to admit undocumented DACA students, with an IFA interest-free loan program, provided those students work in medically-underserved areas of Illinois after obtaining their degrees.

Bill believed everyone has a responsibility to leave the world a better place than they found it. He personally worked to keep government accountable and responsive to social problems; he worked to keep higher education strong, dynamic, and obtainable; and diligently recycled almost everything he touched.

Throughout his life Bill’s commitment to family was constant. Despite all the travel his work required, he never once missed a birthday. He made sure he was home for every dad-daughter dance, lead the trick-or-treat group every Halloween, and went to innumerable little league games. He loved being a dad, and loved being a grandpa even more. His family is sure the toy car industry will take a hit with his passing.

Bill is survived by his wife of 43 years, Patrice; his children Katherine, William, Joan, and John; daughters-in-law Danielle and Gabrielle; grandson William; brothers Jim, Mike, and John; and dozens of cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends all of whom he considered family.

Friends and family will gather for services that will be held at 10am on July 7th, 2023 at the Madonna Della Strada Chapel on the Loyola University of Chicago campus. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers contributions in Bill's memory can be made to Tina's Wish in support of the Bill Brandt Innovators’ High Risk High Reward Grant.