What a new economic impact analysis reveals about the real value of bringing talent back
Five years ago, Action Greensboro set out to change how Greensboro, North Carolina approached talent attraction. Instead of trying to attract entirely new talent, they focused on former residents who already had a connection to the city but had left for school or work.
They called these returning residents “Boomerangs.” The concept was straightforward. The execution took multi-layered strategy. And today, five years later, the results tell a bigger success story.
Through a Lightcast economic impact analysis of the Boomerang campaign, Greensboro can now quantify the ongoing annual economic impact of its talent attraction strategy:
What started as a campaign idea has resulted in measurable talent growth and sustained economic value.
The Boomerang Strategy
Boomerang Greensboro was launched in late 2020 to recruit former residents back to the region through targeted outreach, storytelling, and concierge-level relocation support. The initiative has since earned national recognition for its approach to talent attraction.
To spark interest, the campaign used a mix of personalized and digital touchpoints, from shipping curated “Boomerang Boxes” and direct mail to targeted advertising and video. For those considering the move back home, Action Greensboro offered hands-on support, including job connections, relocation guidance, and access to a network of local employers and leaders.
The strategy focused on removing barriers to return. It also relied on Lightcast Talent Migration data to understand where Greensboro’s talent was going and how to reach them more effectively.
The campaign has since helped bring former residents back to the region. But until now, one question remained: What is the economic impact of bringing that talent back?
Measuring the Impact of Returning Talent
To answer that question, Action Greensboro partnered with Lightcast to conduct a formal economic impact analysis of the Boomerang initiative.
The analysis examined 162 anonymized profiles of confirmed returnees, representing 150 roles across 86 industry sectors in the Greensboro–High Point region.
Using Lightcast’s Input-Output model, the analysis estimates how the work and spending of these individuals contribute to the broader regional economy.
The results* show that these returning professionals:
Generate $26.1 million in annual value added
Support 263 jobs, including direct and secondary employment
Produce $44.5 million in annual business sales
Contribute $17.3 million in annual labor income
*Note: these figures represent the estimated annual contribution of these returnees at a point in time, not a cumulative total over five years.
“These [Boomerangs] are experienced professionals who chose to come home and build their lives here,” said Cecelia Thompson, Executive Director, Action Greensboro. “This analysis confirms that recruiting talent back isn’t just good for families and communities. It’s a smart economic investment.”
Talent attraction efforts often track who they reach and who returns. What’s often missing is a clear picture of the economic impact behind those outcomes. Measuring what people contribute after they arrive is much harder. This is what that Lightcast analysis finally makes possible.
Lightcast’s economic impact analysis connects returning talent to measurable economic outcomes. The analysis uses available data on identified returnees, including their occupations and industries, and applies an input-output model to estimate how their economic activity contributes to the broader regional economy.
“This analysis provides a realistic view of how returning workers function as an economic asset,” said Josh Wright, Head of Strategy & Growth at Lightcast. “Even with cautious assumptions, the contribution is substantial!”
A 10X Return on Investment
Since its launch, Action Greensboro has invested approximately $250,000 in marketing and recruitment tied to Boomerang Greensboro. Even under a conservative assumption that the campaign influenced just 10 percent of return decisions, the resulting economic value would still exceed $2.6 million annually.
“That level of return is rare in economic development,” Thompson said. “It shows that targeted talent strategies can pay off quickly and repeatedly.”
What This Reveals About Talent Attraction
National research shows that 25 to 40 percent of people eventually return to their home regions, often driven by affordability, career opportunities, and family ties. What has been missing is a way to quantify the economic value of those decisions.
Boomerang Greensboro shows what becomes possible when that impact is measured. It also highlights the potential of focusing on returning talent as a more targeted and measurable approach to talent attraction.
For the first time, a boomerang talent strategy has been connected to measurable economic impact, showing not just how many people return, but what their presence contributes each year. Without that visibility, talent attraction efforts are often evaluated based on activity rather than outcomes. Measuring economic impact provides a clearer way to demonstrate value, justify continued investment, and align stakeholders around what these strategies are actually delivering.
“Regions invest a lot in talent attraction. What’s often missing is a clear view of what that work adds up to in economic terms. In Greensboro’s case, you start to see how meaningful that impact can become when you look at how it compounds over time.”
—Josh Wright, Head of Strategy & Growth, Lightcast
Five years in
Five years in, Boomerang Greensboro has shown that attracting talent back is not just a community-building effort. As more talent returns, that annual economic impact has the potential to grow, creating a compounding effect over time. It has demonstrated that attracting talent back home can be targeted, measured, and effective.
