Area business owner receives entrepreneur award

Squeaky Services owner receives entrepreneur award
By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | February 2026

Eight years ago, Esme Miranda left her stable job as an area manager for Aldi and opened Squeaky Services, a commercial cleaning business. Her dip into entrepreneurial waters was prompted by a desire to provide better pay and benefits for family members already working in that industry. What started with 13 employees in 2018 has grown into a multi-million-dollar operation with more than 110 employees across four locations – Cottage Grove, Woodbury, Bloomington, and its main office in South St. Paul. In recognition of her success, she was recently awarded the Bob Klas Sr. Entrepreneur Award by the Dakota-Scott Workforce Development Board.

Miranda credits the business’s quick rise to constant attention to detail, meticulously organized
procedures and communication with customers, and a commitment to hiring and retaining quality staff.

“We have a very organized way of handling business and what really sets us apart is the way we communicate,” she said. “We have the employees, a building manager that checks in with the employees, and then on top of that we have what we call a relationship manager that checks in on the building manager…. My managers are the main reason why I am able to do what I do because they’re the ones that are, at the end of the day, driving the vision and mission of Squeaky Services.”

After starting the business, Miranda became heavily involved with various chambers of commerce and business groups and garnered many clients through those relationships. In addition to general commercial cleaning, the business does carpet cleaning and wax stripping. About 15% of its work is residential cleaning.

The biggest challenge is keeping up with demand, she said, although there is now widespread unease among her staff, a large number of whom are Latino and are worried about increased enforcement from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, despite being citizens. Miranda herself grew up in Mexico and moved to Minnesota with her family as a teenager.

“We [Latinos] just kind of feel threatened,” she said. “It does not matter what position you are in here; they can still take you because you’re brown.”

Miranda is seeking to expand the main office in South St. Paul or move to a larger one within the city.

“I’m just really humbled for them to consider me,” she said of the award. “Apparently five chambers nominated me and that was the first time ever that they’ve seen that. It was pretty amazing to feel that support.”