The EVOLUTION Magazine Newsroom
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Kansas City Cannabis’ CEO Dan Nelson
Appoints Forest Palmer as the New CEO
Kansas City Cannabis Company( KCC), one of Missouri’ s leading cannabis retailers, announced the appointment of Forest Palmer as chief executive officer, effective February 2026. Palmer succeeds Dan Nelson, who will transition into a newly created role on the company’ s board of directors.
Palmer assumes the CEO position after nearly seven years with Kansas City Cannabis Company, during which he has held multiple leadership roles, including director of operations, chief operating officer, and chief strategy officer. Throughout his tenure, Palmer has been instrumental in building KCC’ s operational foundation as Missouri’ s regulated medical and adult-use cannabis markets have evolved.
“ It’ s been a pleasure— and a fantastic, wild, rollercoaster journey over the past seven years— building KCC,” said Dan Nelson, outgoing CEO and board member of Kansas City Cannabis Company.“ Forest’ s values of loyalty, family, and integrity have shaped him into an honest leader and a salt-of-the-earth friend who leads with both heart and mind. I have no doubt he will continue to do great things at KCC.” industry involvement has included public speaking engagements and community outreach throughout the Kansas City region.
During his tenure as director of operations and application writer, Kansas City Cannabis Company successfully secured five Missouri dispensary licenses and earned recognition as one of the region’ s top-performing dispensary operators. His leadership philosophy centers on a“ Promote from Within” culture, scalable systems, regulatory compliance, and delivering a consistent, high-quality customer experience designed to build long-term loyalty.
As chief executive officer, Palmer will lead Kansas City Cannabis Company’ s long-term strategic vision, oversee continued retail and organizational growth, and strengthen collaboration within Missouri’ s cannabis industry.
Palmer is a United States Marine Corps veteran, having served as an infantry machine gun team leader at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, CA. He also brings experience in real estate and property management, adding depth to his expertise in multi-location operations and asset oversight.
Palmer( on left) joined KCC in 2019 as director of operations, where he led the recruitment, training, and deployment of the company’ s original retail teams. In that role, he developed and implemented compliance-driven standard operating procedures across a growing multi-store footprint, helping establish KCC’ s reputation for operational discipline and customer trust.
In 2022, Palmer was promoted to chief operating officer, expanding his responsibilities to include retail strategy, leadership development, marketing initiatives, and cross-departmental execution. As COO, he oversaw teams across multiple departments, implemented systems to improve accountability and productivity, managed key partnerships, and evaluated return on investment across company initiatives.
Before joining KCC, Palmer built his career in the CBD and hemp retail sector, serving as a multi-store general manager, franchise trainer, and franchise owner in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Beginning in 2017, he helped open and operate multiple retail locations and developed cannabis education programs designed to serve a largely uninformed consumer base during the early days of the Midwest CBD market.
� Forest Palmer
CEO Dan Nelson( center – back row) with KCC’ s management team.
Kansas City Cannabis Company operates multiple dispensaries across the Kansas City region and continues to expand its footprint as Missouri’ s cannabis market evolves.
Learn more about Kansas City Cannabis Company and find its dispensary locations at www. kccannabis. org.
Palmer also gained early experience in the California medical cannabis market, shaping his patient-first philosophy and emphasis on education as the foundation of responsible cannabis retail. His
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