GREENSBORO, N.C. — You likely know what a boomerang is. It's that thing that is launched in one direction and soon it returns back to where it started.
Well, that concept is the exact idea being used in Greensboro.
Action Greensboro is an economic development nonprofit. The nonprofit is bringing people back to Greensboro, who once lived, grew up, or went to college here, but left for other life experiences, hence the reference boomerang.
Cecelia Thompson, Action Greensboro Executive Director, said the program is seeing big success.
"We've recruited more than 80 families back to Greensboro since 2020," said Thompson. "Some of those folks have gotten a box and they've decided they're going to come back. For some others, we provided some really special support like finding a job, we're making a connection for them locally, and so I think our sweet spot is making those personal connections and finding out how we can do something special for somebody as they move back and I will say everyone that we talked to is really surprised about what we let this service is it's really one of a kind in the country."
Thompson said during the pandemic, people across the United States were leaving major metro areas because they wanted affordable housing, to be able to have the chance to raise a family, and green space to enjoy.
"One of the things that we noticed during COVID, was there was a lot of migration shifts across the United States," she said. "People were leaving major metro areas like New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco, particularly because they wanted affordable housing, they wanted to be able to buy a house, raise a family, and have green space. Now, what we do is highlight those amenities about Greensboro to an external audience."
It's what launched the Boomerang Greensboro program, which highlights those amenities of Greensboro.
How they find the people who left Greensboro, and might come back, is through families and friends.
"We do a lot of outreach locally, to the community," she said. "We talk to rotary clubs, do advertisements in local publishing companies, we talk about who you want to move back to Greensboro and then we get those prospects from people like you and me. They could be a parent of somebody who wants their kids back, It could be a grandparent who wants their grandkids around, it could be just a friend who wants a peer to come back to Greensboro."
Thompson said once they get their contact information from somebody, they send a boomerang box.
"Our boomerang box includes a letter from us saying we want you back in Greensboro," she said. "I would find that flattering if my hometown would send me something like that. It also includes the cost of living comparisons depending on where you live in the country. You'll receive something similar to where you are. The box also includes information about schools about lifestyle in Greensboro, and then we're excited that also includes a local snack."
These boxes brought back more than 80 families to Greensboro in four years.
Thompson says the group also helps find daycare for kids, guides parents through school districts, and even helps them make connections to get a job.
"We find that family-friendly communities are our market and that's what Greensboro is," she said. "We're a great place to raise a family, whether that's an affordable lifestyle, whether that's the kind of intimate nature of our neighborhoods, in our community, and our school district. We're leaning into that, whether that be through businesses that are participating in family-friendly workplaces, or boomerangs themselves moving back. We see that the market that's coming back mostly, are young parents with young children, and then they've created a community."
With big companies like Boom Supersonic and Toyota, it's helping fill the gap with the new jobs coming to the Triad.
It's also building a stronger community.
"Boomerangs are unique because they understand the community and what I found is that they're more likely to lean into the community once they come back," said Thompson. "They're interested in joining boards of directors of nonprofits, they might be running for office. They're getting involved in their neighborhood association, and they're bringing back experiences and skill sets that they didn't have when they left. We're welcoming back people with really interesting skill sets that can meet the needs of our current and future workforce, but they're also meeting the needs of what a community looks like and that includes people who are civically involved and want to create community. We find that this demographic is kind of extra special in that way."
If you know somebody that's curious about moving back to Greensboro or would be flattered if they received the box, Boomerang Greensboro will send informational kits.