Tashie George, Senior Economic Development Analyst at Hennepin County (one of the largest county systems in Minnesota) and the Owner & CEO at IFRI (Pronounced “I-Free”). Before serving Hennepin County as the Sr. Economic Development Analyst, she has been dedicating her efforts developing solutions and services for the Africans in the Diaspora and their loved ones back home on the continent. Tashie’s work, under IFRI, was inspired by a shared experience with the diaspora population. After moving to the United States from Liberia, she always looked for a way to give back to her country at some point in the future. During the Ebola epidemic, she partnered with community churches and organizations in Minnesota to collect and quickly deliver medical and food supplies via Global Health Ministries to Liberia. The Ebola epidemic in Liberia, was the inspiration, drive and motivation she needed to start the then IfriMarket Inc. In 2015, Tashie George opened the original ifrimart.com as delivery and pickup service for customers residing abroad to purchase food products for their families and friends in Liberia. Later in 2020, she expanded the business to add more lines of business, produced her first Alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverage product and a non-profit organization, IFRI-TRYV. Through IFRI-TRYV, we have supported disadvantaged communities with monthly food drive in Liberia, last year we supported 52 young female business entrepreneurs, also in Liberia and are scheduled to support 100 more females in February 2022 with skills, training and access to capital and resources.Tashie’s has also been successful as a Corporate Event Manager and Digital Marketing Consultant. Tashie has contributed and/or produced many successful events over the past several years. Her Digital and Content Management approach has helped these businesses and organizations reach over a half million people in total. Because of her hard work and efforts, Tashie was the winner of the 2019 DDEA Humanitarian Award in Baltimore, Maryland. She is committed to the motto of the IFRI brand which is “Changing the Mindset for Prosperity”. Tashie would be happy to mentor anyone looking to learn more about a career in Economic Development/Vitality and Entrepreneurship.More about Tashie and Contact information:She was born in Monrovia, Liberia and currently resides in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. She enjoys spending time with her family , cooking and all things food, traveling, yoga and meeting new people. She can be reached at tashie@ifrillc.com. Visit ifrillc.com for more information.