Arlington, VA, October 27, 2006 – MergeGlobal, the financial and strategic consulting firm, is pleased to welcome Ricardo Ernst, PhD, as a Principal Advisor. Dr. Ernst will advise MergeGlobal and our clients on operations research issues.

Dr. Ernst is a professor at the McDonough School of Business at the Georgetown University, where he also serves as co-director of the Global Logistics Program and Area Coordinator of the Operations and Information Management Group. His research interests include global logistics with emphasis in strategic analysis of logistics systems at both macro and micro levels. Dr. Ernst is also familiar with manufacturing and distribution in Latin America where he has experience developing metrics and performance evaluations for the logistics requirements and challenges involved in complex supply chain projects.

Dr. Ernst has published widely. Current and recent research topics include the “Study of Logistics Performance Indicators in Latin America”, “Study of Organizational Structures for Logistics in Latin America”, “Aligning Global Logistics with Product Design Through Segmentation” and “Product Allocation
Decisions in Transnational Manufacturing”. Dr. Ernst also co-authored Global Operations Management and Logistics: Text and Cases.

David Hoppin, Managing Director of MergeGlobal, commented that “we are delighted to have someone of Ricardo’s stature join our team. His deep knowledge of the Latin American market, coupled with his truly global perspective and well-honed technical skills, will be invaluable for our clients.” Dr. Ernst said that “I am excited by the prospect of working with a dynamic and growing firm like MergeGlobal.”

Dr. Ernst received his PhD and MA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and his MBA from Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración Venezuela.