Tom Geaslen’s new gig
February 23, 2015
Tom Geaslen
Former Oceano CSD general manager Tom Geaslen is embarking on a business venture with the aim of becoming the king of short-term RV rentals. [Pacific Business Times]
Geaslen is one of the founders of Nipomo startup RVPlusYou, a business modeled after vacation rental giant Airbnb. Rather than offering listings of homes, though, RVPlusYou links vacationers with trailer owners.
The startup also hopes to avoid the tax and regulatory burdens that have recently plagued Airbnb. Cities across the country, including several on the Central Coast, are imposing bed taxes and strict usage regulations on Airbnb home rentals.
Geaslen’s company plans to circumvent anticipated challenges by requiring RV owners to drive their trailers to and from the locations where guests will set up camp. That way, RVPlusYou would avoid passing down the costs of large insurance premiums to its customers.
Geaslen is seeking investments in the business from venture capitalists and San Luis Obispo County residents. He said the company is currently in bootstrap mode, but it plans to scale nationwide and eventually to Europe.
In 2013, the Oceano Community Services District board fired Geaslen after an audit revealed that he paid himself more than $45,000 extra in salary. The board ordered Geaslen to pay back nearly $37,000.
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