Turnaround management firm adds four new professionals with more new hires expected

Development Specialists, Inc., one of the leading turnaround management and financial advisory firms in the United States, is staffing up to meet an expected wave of business insolvencies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company recently added four financial professionals to its New York, Chicago and South Florida offices.

“As government relief money starts to run out over the next month or so, I think we’ll see business insolvencies start to pile up and need assistance reorganizing or winding down operations,” said Bradley Sharp, DSI President and CEO. “We are reacting to the reality.”

Yi Zhu joins DSI as a director in the New York Office. He has a decade of experience in the restructuring industry and has worked on high-profile matters including The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) just prior to its’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Prior to joining DSI, Zhu worked at the Hina Group, based in Beijing, China. He also held high-level roles with Price Waterhouse Coopers, Deloitte Advisory and GlassRatner Advisory & Capital. Zhu received his M.B.A. from the Columbia School of Business, a master’s degree from State University of New York at Albany and an undergraduate degree from Fudan University in China.

The Chicago office added two associates, David Young and Gabria Brenner. Young has a strong background in actuarial, probability and financial mathematics. Prior to joining DSI, he worked at XSell Technologies, an online platform that helps B2B enterprises with organizational and financial matters. He holds an undergraduate degree in actuarial science from Illinois State University.

Brenner joins DSI from Grant Thornton in Chicago where she gained experience in public accounting and finance as an Audit Associate. She earned an accounting degree from Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business.

Richard Twaits joins the South Florida office as an Associate. He has a background in public accounting and previously worked at Grant Thornton in Miami where he served as a Senior Audit Consultant. Twaits also held auditing roles at KPMG in New York City and PwC in Orlando. He holds a degree in accounting from Stetson University.

“I’d like to welcome all of these professionals to the DSI team,” said Sharp. “Their experience and talents will help bolster our current resources to help manage an influx of work we are already starting to see from the fallout of the pandemic crisis.”

About DSI:

Development Specialists, Inc. (DSI) is one of the leading providers of management consulting and financial advisory services, including turnaround consulting, financial restructuring, litigation support, fiduciary services and forensic accounting. Our clients include business owners, private-equity investors, corporate boards, financial institutions, secured lenders, bondholders and unsecured creditors. For more than 40 years, DSI has been guided by a single objective: maximizing value for all stakeholders. With our highly skilled and diverse team of professionals, offices in the U.S. and international affiliates and an unparalleled range of experience, DSI has built a solid reputation as an industry leader.