Our Team

The Great Circle consultants are highly experienced in their chosen fields, providing each client with the insightful analysis and solutions necessary to compete in today's hyper-competitive market conditions.

The Great Circle team shares the responsibility for in-depth opportunity assessment and execution through comprehensive due diligence and planning processes. Each client interacts closely with at least one Great Circle principal, with review or special problem solving when appropriate by other members of the Great Circle team.

Great Circle's collective management capabilities and approaches contribute to its clients' growth and success by offering a cost-effective alternative to full-time executive staff.

Victor E. Penan, J.D.
E-mail: vpenan@grcircle.com

Mr. Penan is a consultant and problem solver who specializes in corporate business planning, organization, financing, restructuring, due diligence, and the negotiation and sale of businesses. His broad planning and management expertise has been derived from diverse client representations and from senior management positions in the emergency medical services, real estate,  mortgage banking, entertainment and high technology industries. He has negotiated for, underwritten and closed over $200 million in commercial real property and corporate acquisitions.

Mr. Penan was a founder, COO and CFO of Mortgage Banker’s Acceptance Company and a founder and COO of Lightflex America, Inc., a cinematographic product marketing and distribution firm.  He orchestrated and made several formal presentations to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences which resulted in an Academy Award for the Lightflex System.  Mr. Penan has served as Vice President in charge of Acquisitions for a number of real estate syndication firms, including Cal Fed Syndications, DeAnza Corporation and Amreal Capital Partners, a San Diego based Home Federal Savings joint venture.  Mr. Penan also served as General Counsel for Quadel Corporation, a Maryland based real estate syndication firm, and Executive Vice President of Western Realty Investors, a real estate investment and management firm.

Mr. Penan presently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Emergent Medical Associates, a physician emergency department staffing firm, and is a principle of its consulting affiliate, e-MSO.  He is a member of the Board of Relevant Ads, Inc.  and Imago Films, and has served on the Boards of WestAm Corp., eCharityCash, Self-Storage Management Company, Inc.,  and numerous other private companies.  He has also served on the board of non-profit organizations including Denver Crime Stoppers,  the Harbor View Hills South Homeowners Association, the Movie Foundation and the Board of Trustees and Governance Committee of Temple Bat Yahm.  Mr. Penan is a guest lecturer on Entrepreneurialism at Concordia University.  He received his J.D. from the Washington College of Law, American University and his B.A. in Political Science from Tufts University.  He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and is licensed as a California Real Estate Broker.

Martin S. Conn, MFA
E-mail: mconn@grcircle.com

Mr. Conn specializes in project management, the establishment of corporate project management offices and management standards, new product development and marketing, interactive/new media development, software documentation and instruction, and multi-media presentation.  He has created project management infrastructures, customized project management software, and served as a trouble shooter for projects in difficulty.  He also has a broad background in film/video production, and designing, manufacturing, and marketing motion picture and photographic equipment, and has worked as a production and project management consultant for most of the major film studios.   

Mr. Conn was a founder and President of Lightflex America, Inc., and has taught for the Project Management Certification programs at the California Institute of Technology and The University of California, Irvine, and has lectured on film and video production at UCLA, USC, and the American Film Institute. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Imago Film Productions Inc.

Mr. Conn received his Masters in Fine Arts from The National Film/TV School in Beaconsfield, United Kingdom, and his Bachelor of Arts in Drama/Theater from Tufts University.  He received his Diploma in Computer Programming from the Computer Learning Center in Los Angeles, California and his Diploma ESL Teacher from the International House in London, United Kingdom.

Ernest J. Johnson, MBA
E-mail: ejohhson@grcircle.com

Mr. Johnson is a consultant and successful executive with aerospace technology and manufacturing companies specializing in the design and project management of electronic circuits for military and commercial applications, and for the U.S. space program.  He has a track record of achieving corporate growth and profitability by emphasizing participative management, innovative problem solving and focusing on customer service. Mr. Johnson’s areas of key competencies include business development, budgeting and forecasting, product design, program/project management, contract negotiation, cost analysis and control, technical leadership and the creation of joint ventures and off-shore manufacturing operations.

Mr. Johnson was a founder and President of a start-up manufacturing company producing components and subsystems for aircraft and ground transportation markets.  Prior to this start-up, he was the President and owner of a firm providing training in TQM, process improvement, customer service, SPC, strategic planning, and situational analysis for start-ups and turnaround businesses.

Mr. Johnson served from 1994 to 2000 as President/General Manager of Leach International, a $60 million/yr manufacturer of aerospace switching devices and subsystems, where he more than doubled sales and increased profitability by more than 500%.  He established a joint venture manufacturing operation in China, developed low cost manufacturing in Mexico, and led an environmental clean-up and closure of a manufacturing facility.  Before joining Leach, he was President of Struthers Dunn/Hi-G, a $40 million manufacturer of switching devices, where he doubled sales and increased profitability by 200%.  Mr. Johnson has also served as  Director of Total Quality and Productivity at Teledyne Controls, a $70 million/year manufacturer of lighting and aircraft maintenance systems, and as Vice President - Engineering for a number of other aerospace and environmental manufacturing and engineering companies.  He has worked on many high level development programs, including the Venus Lander in conjunction with JPL, a solid state voice system for helicopters, squib firing circuits for the Minuteman Missile and timer and control circuits for Litton Microwave Ovens.

Mr. Johnson received his M.B.A. from Pepperdine University and his B.S. (Summa Cum Laude) in Applied Physics from West Coast University.        

David M. Zimberoff, LLB, MBA
E-mail: dzimberoff@grcircle.com

Mr. Zimberoff is a consultant, entrepreneur and retired attorney who has broad expertise in financial management, corporate business planning and the organization, accounting, and negotiation and sale of businesses.  He practiced law for over 18 years, specializing in real estate and business transactional matters.  Mr. Zimberoff has also developed and built numerous real estate projects including single family homes and apartment buildings, has acquired, managed and disposed of a variety of real property, and managed real estate, stocks, and bond portfolios.  He taught Accounting at DePaul University, Chicago, IL; Business Law at Fullerton Jr. College, Fullerton, CA, and numerous courses in the Real Estate Brokers Continuing Education Program for the Department of Real Estate in California. 

Mr. Zimberoff was a principal and Chief Financial Officer of First Foto, Inc., an innovative photography company that photographed new-borns in over 400 hospitals, which he took public.  He has created new systems and procedures for budgeting and accounting systems to manage real property, business and non-profit organizations.  Most recently he has provided operations consultation to a radiology practice, analyzing and then implementing new business methods and practices including new accounting, budgeting and personnel procedures.

Mr. Zimberoff has served as Financial Secretary, as Treasurer and was a Board Member of Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach, CA for a number of years.  In addition he was a Board Member of Casa del Mar Condominium Association in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  He received his Bachelor of Laws Degree from DePaul Law School, his MBA in Accounting from the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business and his B.A. in Liberal Arts from the University of Chicago.  He is an inactive member of the California and Illinois Bars and has held Real Estate Brokers licenses in California and Illinois.

Jerry McLaughlin, R.Ph.
E-mail: jmclaughlin@grcircle.com 

Mr. McLaughlin has over 25 years of domestic and international experience in the pharmaceutical, biotech and diagnostic industries where he has facilitated changes in strategic direction, managed rapid growth and has orchestrated difficult reorganizations. He has performed marketing, business development and sales and marketing restructuring consulting services for technology driven IVD companies.  His analytical approach to problem solving and dedication to market driven philosophies have helped him create a success pattern in every company he has served.

Previously Mr. McLaughlin was an Officer and Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Diagnostic Products Corporation (DP-NYSE), one of the fastest growing in vitro diagnostic companies in the world and was the founding President and CEO of Biometric Imaging, a Silicon Valley biotechnology start-up company.  Mr. McLaughlin has also served as Vice President, Marketing & Sales for Unipath Company where he was responsible for their world-wide marketing. He restructured the domestic sales organization and organized a strategically oriented marketing department in concert with additional Unilever medical companies. Mr. McLaughlin also oversaw the general management of new product programs and was responsible for the evaluation of potential acquisitions.

Prior to joining Unipath Mr. McLaughlin held various executive sales and marketing positions with Kallestad Diagnostics in Austin Texas, Boehringer Mannheim Diagnostics and Beckman Instruments.  Mr. McLaughlin received his B.S. in Pharmacy from SUNY-Buffalo.

Peter Ridley, Ph.D.
E-mail: pridley@grcircle.com

Dr. Ridley has over 30 years of experience identifying, managing and licensing intellectual property in health care markets. His comprehensive worldwide network of scientific and commercial contacts include relationships in major companies and universities. He has consulted with start-up, biotechnology, and major pharmaceutical companies, universities, and venture capital firms in sourcing, licensing, and partnering opportunities.

At Smith Kline Corporation Dr. Ridley was Deputy Director of Research and at Allergan, Inc, he was Senior Vice President of Research and Development. Simultaneously, he held appointments at the University of California, Irvine, where he was an adjunct faculty member and Director of the Corporate University Partners program, facilitating technology transfers among universities, biotechnology companies and major health care firms.  As Vice President of Scientific Development and Licensing for Allergan, he was instrumental in forming strategic business alliances and research collaborations and in acquiring new products and technology.

Dr. Ridley received his B.A. Degree in Biology from Rutgers University and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. He also served a postdoctoral fellowship in Pharmacology at the prestigious Karolinska Institute and served on the faculty of George Washington University.