At Butterball® Farms, we’ve long believed that the most important ingredient in our success isn’t just the premium butter and custom solutions we craft — it’s the people and customers who make it possible. From the production floor to the boardroom, we are guided by our mission to Enrich Lives and the idea that meaningful work and meaningful lives go hand-in-hand. That’s why we’re proud to share news of a powerful new contribution to the national conversation on workforce development and employee wellbeing.
Our CEO, Mark Peters, has written a timely and transformative new book:
The Retention Trap: Stop Measuring Turnover, Start Measuring Talent Investment (Post Hill Press, publishing June 3, 2025).
Too often, business leaders measure success by how many employees stay, not why they stay. The traditional lens of retention, focused on turnover rates, wages, hours, and benefits, can inadvertently treat people like statistics instead of individuals with purpose, potential, and evolving needs.
In The Retention Trap, Peters challenges this outdated mindset. With over two decades of leadership at Butterball Farms — a nationally recognized Best and Brightest Company to Work For® — he offers a timely framework that positions talent retention as a proactive and human-centered strategy. It’s not just about keeping people; it’s about growing them.
Why This Matters to Butterball Farms
At Butterball Farms, we’ve seen firsthand how investing in our team creates long-term value — not just for our business, but for our community. That’s why we helped launch The SOURCE, a nonprofit that’s delivered transformative results for workers across West Michigan. It’s why we prioritize learning, equity, and innovation within our own walls. And it’s why we believe every business — large or small — has the opportunity to become a talent incubator that uplifts people and performance alike.
This book captures those values and expands them into a blueprint for the future of work — one where business success and worker well-being are inextricably linked.
Key Themes from the Book
Peters brings to life the ideas that have shaped our approach at Butterball Farms and that can benefit businesses across the country:
- Understand the real reasons people stay or leave — and design systems around those insights.
- Support employee purpose and growth — because fulfillment drives performance.
- Address the unique challenges of small- and mid-sized companies — where every hire matters deeply.
- Prepare your workforce for the rise of AI — ensuring no one gets left behind in the next economy.
- Redefine legacy — not as keeping people, but developing them.
A Call to Action for Business Leaders
The Retention Trap is more than a book — it’s a wake-up call. It urges leaders to flip the script on retention and to embrace talent investment as a defining competitive advantage.
Whether you’re a business leader, policymaker, or part of a growing team, this book offers a new playbook to create thriving workplaces that inspire, retain, and elevate talent.
This is the 2nd book Peters has written. His first book, THE SOURCE, outlines a transformative model for workforce support.
Let’s move from managing turnover to cultivating possibility. Because when we invest in people, we all rise and Enrich Lives.
Learn more at www.RetentionTrap.comLearn more about Butterball Farms and our mission at https://butterballfarms.com/why-choose-us/community/.
