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Maye Musk speaks at the Global Women Leaders Forum in Seoul on June 15 Maye Musk, the mother of Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk, has been named the global ambassador for South Korea’s Ceragem Co., a manufacturer of thermal massage beds.Ceragem is poised to expand its US operations after opening its first directly managed store, in Los Angeles, California, earlier this year.Though best known as the multibillionaire’s mother, Musk is also a model, a nutritionist and an entrepreneur. Ceragem expects to “kill three birds with one stone” with the latest contract. The massage bed manufacturer forecasts unprecedented exposure from the 74-year-old trying out its products and posting them on social media. She is currently visiting Seoul and spoke at the Global Women Leaders Forum on Wednesday. “The thermal spine massager is US FDA-certified and designed after the Korean ondol concept,” a Ceragem employee told The Korea Economic Daily. “Its marketability has been well proven in overseas markets as we’ve been operating stores in 69 nations since 1998.”For example, the Master V6 model is designed to relieve muscular pain, improve blood circulation and treat intervertebral disk herniation. The company changed its operating structure for all locations to be directly managed. One of Ceragem's three locations in Los Angeles, California The three locations that opened earlier this year have already passed the break-even point. The company plans to open seven more stores before the year’s end. Some are optimistic that Ceragem products could enjoy some exposure to Elon Musk himself, with the technology perhaps being incorporated into electric vehicles.Previously, Ceragem enjoyed rapid sales in South Korea by hiring Lee Jung-jae to promote the brand.Lee is considered one of the most successful actors in Korea's drama series and movie ecosystem; and is known internationally these days thanks to his role in the Netflix megahit Squid Games. Ceragem CEO Lee Kyung-soo is the brain behind the company's recent string of successes. Lee built the company's business in China and spearheaded the switch to direct management of its overseas locations. The company describes its business as being in the “healthterior” sector, offering healthcare devices and medicinal equipment that can double as interior pieces, with the ultimate goal of building a global healthcare platform. Ceragem was established in July 1998. Founder and Chairman Lee Hwan Sung is still the largest shareholder with a 60.5% stake. The company’s revenue more than doubled last year to 533.9 billion won ($413 million) from the year prior. Its operating profit jumped fourfold to 62.4 billion won in the same period. By Dong-Hui Parkdonghuip@hankyung.comJee Abbey Lee edited this article.
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