Comrade Bass grew up the son of two IBM employees, his father a chemical engineer and his mother an instructor, moving around southern states every two or three years. He earned both an MBA and Engineering degree from Washington University in St Louis, on full ROTC scholarship, then served in the Army for three years before earning a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech.  He started Automation Creations, Inc.  in the Corporate Research Center  in 1996, producing custom-developed software and web applications for commercial and Government customers. His company has taken several software projects to international success. Credits include MatWeb.com,  the Blacksburg Transit mobile app, Gold Drafter, Record Tree, and ongoing work with several Fortune 1000 companies.  He has spun off several businesses, and has coached several robotics teams rising to World Championship status, as well as volunteering with both Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts. As an Army Reserve logistics officer, he deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008, earning a Bronze Star and promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. His last duty station was with the Pacific Command G-4 office at Ft Shafter, Hawaii as an IMA officer, deploying several times per year until his military retirement in 2017.  He holds professional certifications in software development and systems engineering. He is active on the Board of Directors for the Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council and past chair of both the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and the Montgomery County Educational Foundation.  He is a cofounder of the all-volunteer New River Robotics Association where he helps coach the Pandas team 4924 competitive robotics team: the only Virginia team to qualify for the World Championship seven times. He is the senior moderator for LXCouncil, with two CEO Peer Advisory Councils in Blacksburg. He and his wife have been married for 31 years, with two adult sons, both Hokies.