About Us & Our Team
About
Aspire Impact is a consulting firm dedicated to elevating your business visibility and fostering impactful partnerships. Our services include expert trade show booth design, strategic searches for partners and distributors, and coordination of targeted meetings with potential trade partners in Minnesota and East Africa. In Minnesota, our efforts emphasize strategic planning and meaningful community engagement. Currently, we are proud to partner with Sigma Consulting to deliver valuable services to Minnesota businesses through the Elevate Hennepin program.
Aspire Impact is a consulting firm committed to amplifying business visibility, accelerating access to capital, and forging transformative partnerships. We bridge angel investors and startups, offering deep expertise in business management, supply chain, distribution, procurement, and fulfillment. Our services spark growth by matching early-stage businesses with investment capital and connecting them with strategic partners, market channels, and trade opportunities with a special focus on building bridges between Minnesota and East Africa. In Minnesota, we drive strategic planning, purposeful business coordination, and rigorous new business vetting, helping companies scale with impact and integrity.
Founder & President
Beirut Abafogi is a seasoned professional with a strong background in advocacy, political leadership, and international development. She holds a Master’s degree from Metropolitan State University, a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Addis Ababa University, and is currently doing Project Management Certificate from Cornell University. Her diverse experience spans legal work, humanitarian service with UNHCR, and high-level leadership in public policy. Beirut currently leads the $8 million Lake Street Lift project at the JD Graves Foundation and serves as Board Chair of OSFNA. She is also the Founder and President of Aspire Impact Consulting, a firm that helps businesses expand globally especially between Minnesota, East Africa, and the Middle East through export readiness, international partnerships, and strategic market development. Her professional journey includes serving as Operations Director for Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Senate campaign, contributing significantly to the 2020 presidential election, working as a Constituent Advocate in a Congressional office, and serving as a Senior Policy Aide for the City of Minneapolis. These roles have equipped her with a deep understanding of public systems, equity-driven leadership, and cross-sector collaboration. Beirut is also committed to nurturing future leaders. She is currently developing a Youth Leadership Training Program, set to launch in the summer of 2025, aimed at empowering young people to lead with purpose, integrity, and impact.
VP & Operations Director
Lina is an accomplished procurement, supply chain and operation executive with more than 18 years of experience. Lina is a mechanical and aerospace engineer with business acumen that has created, led and managed supply chain, strategic sourcing and procurement organizations across North America and Europe. Lina is currently the head of procurement for Patterson Companies a medical supplies conglomerate and leader in the dental, veterinary and production animal segments. Lina is responsible for $1.2 Billion in spend annually and 180 high performing team members. Prior to Patterson, Lina was the Sr Director of Sourcing and Category Management – Vaccine at McKesson Corporation leading $2.5 Billion in annual revenue and most accreditive category. Lina led the category to 245% growth over 3 years. Notably, Lina led the operation for CDC’s Vaccine for Children program. Prior to McKesson, Lina was a product manager at ABB Group and Honeywell. Lastly, Lina holds a bachelor of science in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics from University of St Thomas in St Paul, MN and an Aerospace master’s degree from University of Minnesota. On a personal note, Lina is passionate about housing access to underserved communities in the Twin Cities. Lina is interested and eager to invest in housing projects for BIPOC and immigrant communities.
