A Chicago plumbing subcontractor who poured years of work into the Barack Obama Presidential Center has suspended operations and laid off 25 union workers after being left nearly $4 million in the hole, just weeks after the star-studded grand opening of Barack Obama’s monument to himself.
Mike Owen, owner of Adamson Plumbing Contractors (which performed work under the name Marsh-Adamson), told Fox News the financial devastation from delays, endless design changes, rework, and unpaid invoices forced him to abandon roughly half a dozen other jobs and push the company to the brink of collapse.
He described the decision as painful but necessary to avoid outright bankruptcy.
“It was in the company’s best interest to suspend all operations. Moving forward until we could get back on solid financial ground. It was not an easy decision to make. Laying off close to 30 people is something that no owner in our industry wants to do,” Owen said.
“We actually had about a half a dozen other projects that I had to make the decision and walk away from. It’s a hard thing to do, especially when you know you can finish them and the company can still make money. But we were put in a pretty bad corner, and I also felt that the responsible thing to do was to talk to those other clients, explain the situation, and just say, “It’s best if we allow another contractor to come in and finish.”
The company suspended operations on June 25, mere days after the center’s June 19 public opening.
Owen filed a $1.72 million mechanic’s lien against the Jackson Park property covering the most clearly documented losses. He says the total hit tied to the project runs closer to $3.9 million.
The breaking point came around the glitzy opening. Adamson had agreed to supply plumbers for last-minute overnight work in exchange for a partial payment. The money didn’t arrive on time. Later partial payments, Owen said, were “too little, too late.”
“We negotiated to have two journeymen work for two weeks at night, so that’s premium time. On top of that, they also agreed to provide what came out to roughly 25% of our retention as our agreement to do the work.
“They verified it via email, went ahead and asked us to revise our May billing, which we did, and we went and had our vendor waivers procured. So, really, all we were waiting for was for the money to hit the bank, and it never happened.
“And that hurt us. Really, it was the final death blow for us because the suppliers involved—it would have helped us with what we owed them, and it would have made things a little bit more smooth for us to continue doing work. But after getting the payment skipped, it just made my decision that much more clear for me to suspend all operations.”
“This entire process is just—it really drained me out financially and, uh, emotionally. I’m not easily surprised, but I’m surprised that nobody politically has stepped up to challenge Turner Construction and Lakeside and ask them, “What the hell is going on?”
“I understand why there’s a hesitancy to say that to the foundation, but it would be nice for somebody at the foundation to maybe say, “Listen, we understand what’s going on here, and we’re going to make our best efforts to try to get this rectified.”
“But I haven’t heard any of it. You’re getting media throwing bouquets of congratulations and how great it’s going to be for everybody, and I have yet to hear anybody speak truth to power, as they love to say publicly.”
WATCH:
🚨“It was just the final death blow to the company.”
An Obama Presidential Center subcontractor has shut down and laid off 25 union workers amid a nearly $4 million payment fight.
Adamson Plumbing owner Mike Owen tells me what happened 👇
A @FoxNews Digital exclusive. pic.twitter.com/l8T9hdf0IA
— Michael Dorgan (@M_Dorgan) July 23, 2026
As The Gateway Pundit previously reported in June, contractors and subcontractors were already sounding the alarm ahead of the opening, claiming they were owed millions while the Obama Foundation’s promised $470 million taxpayer “safety net” endowment sat at a pathetic $1 million.
Costs on the project ballooned from an original estimate around $350 million to over $850 million (and reportedly past $1 billion). The foundation secured the 19.3-acre public parkland site with a 99-year lease for a one-time $10 payment.
Adamson Plumbing is not the first contractor controversy surrounding the project.
As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, another Chicago subcontractor filed a whopping $40 million racial discrimination lawsuit connected to construction of the Obama Presidential Center.
That subcontractor alleged that engineering requirements imposed during construction resulted in additional work and millions of dollars in losses.
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