About Study Groups
People think better together.
For more than 40 years, Study Groups has helped business leaders make better decisions through the power of peer insight, benchmarking intelligence, and trusted relationships.
The Founding Story
A professor, five operators, and a simple idea.
Study Groups was founded on a simple belief: people think better together.
After decades researching the petroleum marketing industry, Dr. David M. Nelson recognized a disconnect. The collaborative environments that produced the strongest thinkers in academia were largely absent from the business world, where leaders often made their most important decisions alone.
He believed the same peer-driven model that worked in the classroom could help business leaders make better decisions and achieve better outcomes.
In 1985, five Northwest petroleum jobbers asked him to put that idea into practice. Together, they formed the industry’s first financial study group, sharing real numbers, real challenges, and real insights.
What started as a single group evolved from Petroleum Marketers Study Group into Study Groups, but the principle remains unchanged:
Trusted peer insight leads to better decisions. Better decisions lead to better outcomes.
41
Years of Continuous Operation
80+ Active Study Groups
775 Members across 335 Unique Firms
Leadership team
The team behind the economics
Economic expertise, proprietary benchmarking, and real-world experience focused on one goal: measurable balance-sheet growth.
David M. Nelson, Ph.D.
Founder & Executive Chairman
Professor of Economics at Western Washington University with 30 years in petroleum marketing. Founded Study Groups in 1985 at the request of Northwest jobbers.
Jed Brewer, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Arizona. More than 15 years studying retail gasoline markets, hypermart competition, and wholesale-to-retail margin flow.
Ben Scellick, CPA
President
Accounting and finance degrees from WWU. Built his career in public accounting before a decade as president and CIO of an investment advisory firm.
Tressa Throgmorton
Operations Director
Economics and Business Administration from WWU. Career in operational and finance roles across construction: structural concrete, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical.
Joe Dawkins
Business Intelligence director
MBA, CMA, with over two decades of financial leadership including time as a CFO. Specializes in automation, digital transformation, and data modeling.
Our Direction
Mission & Vision
Our Mission
“To create permanent value and lasting friendships for our members through education and sharing in an environment of trust.”
Our Vision
“500 unique companies and 1,000 members in three distinct industries by 2027, because every leader deserves the value and friendships of a Study Group.”
Our Core Values
The S.H.A.R.E. Framework
How we act as we carry out our vision and meet the requirements of our members.
Servant Attitude
Serving others with humility, helping them grow wiser, healthier, and better equipped to help others.
H
Have Integrity
Acting with honesty and fairness in all interactions; ensuring our words and actions match.
A
Achieve Excellence
We get it right. We are reliable, timely and courteous. Our work is precise and thorough. We continually learn and improve and are committed to be better than we were last year.
R
Respect
Understanding that all people are important and created in the image of God, and treating them accordingly.
E
Ensure Win/Win
Crafting relationships and agreements that are genuinely mutually beneficial for all parties involved.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17 · The Study Groups Guiding Principle
775 members · 335 unique firms · 41 years of proof
See how your numbers stack up
Top performers already know where they stand.