A 28-year veteran of the firm, Marsh steps into the role with deep roots in CSHQA’s employee-owned culture and a record of award-winning design across hospitality, adaptive reuse, and civic projects.
Effective January 1, 2026, James A. Marsh, AIA, became President and Chief Executive Officer of CSHQA, Inc. His appointment marks a new chapter for one of the Mountain West’s most established architecture and engineering firms and is a natural progression for a leader who has spent nearly three decades learning, building, and earning the trust of clients and colleagues.
Three Decades. One Firm. One Direction.
Marsh joined CSHQA in 1998 and has since led the firm’s work across some of its most visible and demanding markets: hospitality, adaptive reuse, workplace, retail, and civic. His portfolio includes the Inn at 500, The Warehouse Food Hall, Treefort Music Hall, Hotel Renegade, and The Sparrow Hotel, a range of projects united by a design approach that responds to place, serves people, and holds up under scrutiny.
Before his appointment as CEO, Marsh served as a Principal Architect and market leader, and as a member of CSHQA’s Board of Directors. That combination of practitioner and steward gives him an unusually grounded perspective on what the firm does well and where it wants to go.
“Jim Marsh’s experience as both a Director on our Board and a Principal Architect provides him with a distinctive perspective and deep understanding of CSHQA’s history, culture, and operations. His leadership, vision, and institutional knowledge position him well to guide the firm through current priorities and future strategic initiatives that will shape our continued growth and long-term direction.”
—Jim Otradosky, Principal Architect and Board Chairman
Design and Delivery—in That Order
Ask Marsh what drives him, and the answer is direct: design and delivery excellence, together, not one at the expense of the other. His leadership model centers on work that is “inspiring, buildable, and on time,” a standard that reflects both the creative ambitions of an architecture firm and the practical realities of the clients who fund, occupy, and depend on those buildings.
Internally, that translates into a clear operating rhythm: rigorous concept-to-detail thinking, collaborative design charrettes, peer reviews, and post-occupancy learning that feeds back into the next project. It’s a process built for firms serious about continuous improvement, not a talking point but evidence in the work.
“The promotion of Jim Marsh to CEO is recognition of his leadership skills, and I look forward to working with him on the next chapter of CSHQA’s journey. Jim is respected by clients and colleagues alike and will bring new energy and vision to our architects, interior designers, and engineers.”
—Mark Gier, VP of Architecture
Employee-Owned and Accountable to That
Since becoming 100% employee-owned in 2018, CSHQA has operated on a straightforward premise: every person in the firm has a stake in its outcomes. There are no outside shareholders to satisfy, no external pressure to optimize for anything other than doing good work for clients. That structure shapes how the firm hires, makes decisions, and treats the people who trust it with their projects.
Marsh has been part of that culture long enough to know it isn’t a marketing claim. As CEO, his focus is on deepening it, building the next generation of leadership, maintaining the client relationships the firm has earned over 135 years, and raising the standard of design across all three offices in Boise, Denver, and Sacramento.
Rooted in Boise. Engaged in What Boise Becomes.
Beyond the firm, Marsh currently serves as co-chair of the City of Boise Design Review Board—a role that reflects a genuine investment in the quality of the built environment, not just the quality of CSHQA’s own portfolio. He is an active member of AIA, BOMA, NCARB, and ICSC.
CSHQA has designed projects across the Mountain West and beyond for more than 135 years, with licensed professionals serving clients across aviation, government and civic, higher education, hospitality, historic preservation, adaptive reuse, grocery, retail, multi-family housing, and workplace markets. Marsh’s appointment ensures that the firm’s next chapter is led by someone who knows both the legacy and the work required to build on it.