Jim Marsh was born December 25, 1933 in Denver, Colorado. His father was the chief for the Colorado Patrol and his mother lived in Nebraska, so he split his time in both places while growing up. He was a service member of the United States Army upon his discharge from the service, he started working with his father at a Ford dealership. Marsh went on to work and own dealerships in several different states including Colorado, California, New Mexico, and Washington before arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1971 to own multiple properties and companies throughout southern Nevada. Marsh was also a member of various business and community organization.