Boomerang Employees: Recognizing What’s Important

Boomerang employees, or those who return to a company after seeking a new opportunity, have become more common than ever and are expected to continue to rise in popularity. According to LinkedIn, this type of recruit accounted for 4.5 percent of all new hires among companies in 2021, up from 3.9 percent in 2019.

People leave their companies for a number of reasons. They may be looking for better financial opportunities, the possibility of further growth, or perhaps to learn a new skillset. But what if you leave your job only to find that you miss your previous employer? This was exactly the case for Jennifer Reilly, Cost Segregation Coordinator.

Exploring New Challenges

Back in 2016, Jen started at The Bonadio Group (TBG) as an administrative assistant in our Rochester, NY office. She remained in this role for over six years before deciding to pursue opportunities elsewhere. “While it was a very hard decision to leave, I had felt that I had outgrown my role and wanted to try something new,” shared Jen.

“I love to learn and be challenged in the workplace, so when I felt that I had achieved everything I could out of my role, I knew I was ready for a change.”

Jen left TBG in August 2022 to pursue a new role at a different company. However, she quickly found that she missed the culture of TBG. “You never realize how important company culture is until you don’t have it. We spend so much time in the workplace, it’s critical to feel that the culture is a good fit.”

New Opportunity, Same Company

During her time away from TBG, Jen maintained contact with her former colleagues, and it was through these relationships that she learned about a new opportunity with TBG. In May 2023, Jen returned to the TBG family and began working as a Cost Segregation Coordinator.

While she always appreciated the culture at TBG, it took leaving the company to explore other opportunities for Jen to realize that not everywhere is the right fit for what she values most. “I always knew that TBG had a finger on the pulse, but I never realized just how hard this is to do. I am extremely impressed by the direction TBG is going and the dedication of leadership to getting there. We are treated as professionals and there is a level of respect that is unmatched.”

“They always say, you don’t know what you have until its gone, and I have found that to be very true in this situation,” furthered Jen.

In her new role, Jen is able to work with new people, serve new clients, explore new skill sets and travel. “I am so excited to be back and to see where my career here takes me! I truly feel that leadership values our People and has our best interest in mind.”

Hear from More of Our Boomerang Employees

From “Big 4” to “Just Right”

Jarrett McDonald, another one of our boomerang employees, is currently a Senior Accountant at our Syracuse office. Jarrett started at TBG as an intern during his undergraduate years, however he decided to start his career at a Big 4 firm because he was interested in the big city lifestyle as well as working with publicly traded F500 clients. He interned at PwC in NYC and ultimately started full-time with them out of their Boston, MA office. 

As he found his personal goals changing, Jarrett decided to switch back to TBG. He realized he wanted to stay in Syracuse long-term and the switch to TBG allowed for him to stay in public accounting, while beginning to integrate back into the Syracuse professional market. “The regional firm aspect of TBG gave me the right balance of small firm feel, with the same capabilities I was used to at PwC,” shared Jarrett. 

Recognizing What’s Important

Partner within the Firm’s Assurance Service Line, Chris Abram, also made the switch back to Bonadio after pursuing a different opportunity.  

“I was at Bonadio for about a year and a half and then I decided to accept a position as an accounting manager on the private side. After being there for a bit, I realized I didn’t know what I was thinking! When I had an opportunity to come back, I immediately took it and returned to Bonadio in April 2021,” shared Chris. “Now I'm back, ready to go, and very excited!” 

The Best of Both Worlds

Amie Fee, Manager at our Dallas, Texas office, originally worked as a Senior Accountant on the Rochester Commercial team before deciding to pursue a position that offered more travel.

“At the time, I wanted to move out of Rochester. Having been born and raised there, I was looking for a change, but at the same time, felt apprehensive about leaving my family and hometown. As a compromise to myself, I accepted a position in internal audit at a different company that allowed for a quarterly international trip,” shared Amie.

After only a few months at her new position, Amie heard that Jeff Wexler, Dallas Regional Managing Partner, had opened a Bonadio office in Dallas and was immediately intrigued. “We went to breakfast the following morning, and by the end of the breakfast meeting, I was boomerang-ing back to Bonadio and moving to Dallas! Jeff and my team in Rochester were nothing but supportive in welcoming me back to the firm and throughout my move.”

Amie has been back with Bonadio for five years now and looks forward to the continued growth of the Dallas office. “The Bonadio culture is truly unmatched, and I am so grateful to be experiencing the best of both worlds; being able to relocate and work in a new city but having a supportive homebase in Rochester!”

If you’re interested in a career at TBG, don’t hesitate to reach out to learn more! And feel free to check out our current openings on our Careers page to get started with an application today.