About / Bio
Thanks for visiting. I blog as time permits and appreciate your interest. You’ll find a variety of themes, ranging from the highs and lows of parenthood; trends in location technology and its application; the travails of my beloved Chicago sports teams; the intersection of telecom, policy, and public safety; Japanese politics; to random flotsam and jetsam that struck my fancy. Some posts are quick 5-minute bursts and some germinate over a period of weeks. I appreciate your comments and hope you enjoy.
With that, a few words about who I am.
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Jon Metzler is Founder and President of Blue Field Strategies, a wireless consulting firm based in San Francisco. Jon provides a variety of US and Asian clients with wireless business, regulatory and strategic consulting services, including regulatory analysis and advocacy, technology and market due diligence, and market ecosystem development.
Prior to founding Blue Field, Jon was Business Development and Government Affairs Director at Rosum Corporation, a a pioneering location technology company based in Silicon Valley. At Rosum he secured government-funded contracts, drove business development in mobile device markets, and also handled government affairs on regulatory issues such as E911 and other wireless spectrum issues.
Prior to joining Rosum, Jon was Vice President at Performance Analysis, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in business development in Japan for US technology companies in the wireless and software fields. He also helped Japanese communications and investment firms analyze US technologies and market opportunities. Prior to joining PAI, Jon launched the Tokyo office of Prophet, an international brand strategy firm, authoring the company’s go-to-market plan, and providing initial recruiting and business development services. Previously Jon was part of the launch team for the Japanese version of shockwave.com, and helped localize the shockwave.com site into the Japanese market.
Jon has speaking, reading and written fluency in Japanese and is a published author in Japan. While living in Japan, Jon held both corporate and field positions at leading media firms such as Asahi Shimbun Publications, Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), and CBS News. At Asahi Shimbun, Jon was part of the launch team for avant magazine. At TBS, Jon analyzed the impact of Internet-based news and content delivery and the potential formation of a Japanese equivalent of the FCC. For CBS at the Nagano Winter Olympics, Jon was a fixer for correspondent Bill Geist, and helped complete multiple pieces for CBS Sunday Morning.
Jon is a graduate of the MBA/MA-Asian Studies program at the University of California, Berkeley. While at Berkeley, he co-founded the Berkeley Asia Business Conference, which continues today. He also authored a thesis comparing technology entrepreneurship models in Silicon Valley and Japan. Jon is now an advisor to the UC-Berkeley Management of Technology Program. Jon also has a B.A. from the University of Michigan in Japanese and Asian Studies.
Jon publishes regularly and has contributed articles on technology and policy topics to publications such as Public Safety Communications, 9-1-1 Magazine, GPS World, Inside GNSS, Emergency Number Professional, Security Products, and more. He is also co-author of the forthcoming Lore of Wizards, a book about the consulting industry.
Jon is a member of the non-profit E9-1-1 Institute, and is also a member of the board of San Francisco’s Stern Grove Festival Association.
Jon makes his home in San Francisco with his wife and son.