209: Stop Trying to Keep People with Mark Peters

209: Stop Trying to Keep People with Mark Peters

June 24, 2026 · 36 min · Episode 209

About this episode

Mark Peters discusses his leadership philosophy and innovative approaches to employee retention.

Mark Peters is the Chief Executive Officer of Butterball Farms, Inc., which was nationally recognized as one of The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® from 2018 to 2025. Most recently, named a Top 101 Companies to Work For® in the nation. The second-generation family business, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is America's leading producer of culinary butter and margarine and creates custom butter flavors for some of America's biggest brands. Peters began as a factory worker in his father's company at the age of 12: an experience that taught him first-hand about the challenges that frontline workers face. At 30, he took over the company determined to lead a financially successful business that would also enrich the lives of its workers. Socials: Website: https://butterballfarms.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markpetersbutterball/ Instagram: @markpetersbutterball Episode Summary: In this episode of the Heartbeat for Hire Podcast, host Lyndsay Dowd sits down with returning guest Mark Peters, CEO of Butterball Farms, author of The Retention Trap, and founder of a nonprofit workforce support model that has generated a reported 300% ROI for participating…

People in this episode

Host: Lyndsay Dowd

Guest: Mark Peters

Topics covered

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Butterball Farms, Inc., The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For, Top 101 Companies to Work For

Books & works: The Retention Trap

Places: Grand Rapids, Michigan

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