Mark Peters did not set out to become a workforce innovator. As CEO of Butterball Farms, a second-generation mid-market manufacturer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, his early career was shaped by familiar business pressures—productivity, retention, competition, and the challenge of leading through economic change. Over time, however, Peters noticed a troubling pattern: the systems employers relied on to attract and retain talent were failing both businesses and workers. He believed there had to be a better way.
The Workforce Solution Hiding in Plain Sight
That belief took shape while Peters was researching his book, The Retention Trap, an exploration of why people stay, why they leave, and how employers can build workplaces that support upward mobility. During that research, he encountered the TPM framework. “When I came across the TPM curriculum, I was surprised by how robust it was,” said Peters. “It was clearly built for big companies, but the fact that it was accessible to small and mid-market employers was remarkable. They just don’t know it exists.”
Motivated to learn more, Peters enrolled in a TPM Academy® cohort. There, he found a framework that aligned closely with his own leadership philosophy—one that placed people at the center while offering the structured, forward-looking talent strategy many mid-sized employers lack. Grounded in supply-chain management principles, TPM helped Peters rethink how employers could collaborate more effectively to prepare the workforce they need while supporting the individuals behind the work.
Developing Tools That Work for Today’s Workforce
Those insights became the foundation for iNexus, an initiative Peters describes as “more than a program—it’s a movement.” Designed to address a growing regional challenge, iNexus responds to a widening disconnect: employers struggling to fill critical roles, workers lacking access to clear pathways into good jobs, and systems that fail to connect the two. Peters’ solution called for a unified talent system—one in which employers align expectations, share data, and partner with educators and community organizations to prepare talent for real opportunities.
The iNexus initiative is built on three core pillars that intentionally mirror the TPM framework:
- Co-designing talent pipelines with education and workforce partners
- Defining shared competencies across employers
- Leveraging existing tools to reduce duplication and strengthen regional coordination
These pillars are not coincidental. They reflect Peters’ TPM Academy training and his belief in collective action. In collaboration with Corewell Health, iNexus will soon launch a pilot. The pilot will leverage TPM Strategies 3, 4, and 5 by identifying shared skills and core competencies across roles. These competencies will then be shared with education partners to co-design talent pipelines that support a transition from low-wage jobs into more meaningful employment.
Building Skills for Workers to Prepare for What’s Next
For Peters, the business case is clear. Extending the average tenure of entry-level workers “from six to nine months to 18 months,” he explained, creates ripple effects across quality, safety, efficiency, and problem-solving—transforming the entire organization. Importantly, he emphasizes that retention is not about keeping people in place, but about equipping them to grow.
“If we don’t have the next best job for them,” Peters said, “then we’ll happily help them find the next best job.” This philosophy—rooted in dignity, mobility, and shared responsibility—reflects his belief that resilient people build resilient enterprises and communities.
When asked what TPM practices he would recommend to other small and mid-sized employers, Peters highlighted three principles:
- Get to know your people, not just their roles
- Embrace talent mobility rather than resisting it
- Join or build networks that prepare workers for the future, not just the next shift
For the TPM National Learning Network and the employers it serves, Peters’ leadership illustrates what is possible when talent is viewed not as a cost, but as a shared regional investment. Grounded in TPM principles and guided by a people-first philosophy, the iNexus initiative demonstrates how employers can expand opportunity, strengthen competitiveness, and shape the future of work by building systems where people and businesses succeed together.
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