Company Says Delays Cost Millions on Obama Project

A union shop says it is owed nearly $4 million, and 25 paychecks vanished with it.

Story Snapshot

Adamson Plumbing Contractors suspended operations and laid off 25 union workers.
Owner Mike Owen says the company is still owed nearly $4 million for Obama Center work.
A $1.72 million mechanic’s lien was filed against the property.
Other subcontractors also report unpaid change orders and broken communication.

What the subcontractor says happened

Mike Owen, president and owner of Adamson Plumbing Contractors, says his company is still owed nearly $4 million for work on the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. He says the shortfall forced him to suspend operations and lay off 25 union workers, cutting paychecks for families who counted on them. He also says delays, rework, and changing demands piled on losses tied to the project, beyond the unpaid balance alone.

Adamson, operating as Marsh-Adamson for filings, recorded a mechanic’s lien for $1.72 million against the property. A mechanic’s lien is a legal filing that asserts money is due for labor or materials supplied to a property. It secures a claim and can pressure payment by clouding title. The lien number is lower than the $4 million figure Owen cites, which suggests disputed items or additional claimed losses beyond invoiced work remain unresolved.

How the money flow got tangled

The Obama Foundation says it does not contract directly with subcontractors and points to Lakeside Alliance, the construction manager, as the party with payment responsibility. That chain-of-contracting setup is common on large jobs but often confuses the public about who owes whom. FactCheck.org reports the Foundation says there are no outstanding disputed charges with Lakeside Alliance, which leaves a gap between what subcontractors say and what the top of the chain asserts.

Payment fights often flare at project closeout. Extra work done on short notice, late design tweaks, and rushed openings turn routine pay apps into arguments over scope and price. Engineering News-Record reported several contractors say they have not been paid for change orders and that communication with the Foundation “largely broke down,” which matches the classic closeout pressure cooker that strains small firms first.

The last-minute work and the breaking point

Owen says Adamson agreed to send two plumbers for overnight work right before the June 19 opening in exchange for a partial payment. He says the money did not arrive on time. He then halted work and suspended operations on June 25. He also pegs losses at about $3.9 million due to delays, rework, and changing demands. Those are his assertions, but they reflect a familiar squeeze: small contractors front labor and materials while waiting on approvals they do not control.

STIFFED BY THE OBAMAS: Plumbing Subcontractor Forced to Shut Down and Lay Off 25 Union Workers After Being Owed Nearly $4 Million on Barack Obama Presidential Center | Jim Hoft, The Gateway Pundit

A Chicago plumbing subcontractor who poured years of work into the Barack Obama… pic.twitter.com/2osuHms8Lh

— Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) July 24, 2026

Fox News identified Owen as one of the few subcontractors willing to speak on the record. That detail matters because many trades sign non-disclosure agreements that can muzzle public complaints, which raises the stakes for the few who go public. When bills stack up, silence buys time for big players but empties cash for small shops. That imbalance offends basic fairness and the work-first, pay-for-results ethic many Americans share.

What is proven and what is pending

Public reporting shows a recorded mechanic’s lien for $1.72 million and on-the-record claims of nearly $4 million owed. Reporting also shows layoffs and a shutdown. What is not shown is a court judgment, an arbitration award, or the full contract ledger that ties every dollar to a signed approval. Those steps may come. Until then, the strongest verified anchor is the lien filing and the documented layoffs tied to the payment dispute.

The gap between signed invoices and broader “losses” will likely decide outcomes. Delay costs can be real yet disputed. Notice rules, change-order procedures, and pass-through clauses often control recovery. A clean resolution needs the subcontract, change orders, pay apps, and closeout logs from Lakeside Alliance and Adamson, side by side. If more trades file liens or suits, that signals a systemic closeout problem rather than one firm’s grievance.

Why this matters beyond one shop

The Obama Presidential Center carried promises of community jobs and new wealth on Chicago’s South Side. When a union contractor shutters and workers lose pay, those promises feel hollow, no matter the paperwork trail. Big projects that celebrate legacy must also honor the ledger. Pay the people who built the thing. That is common sense. If the upper tiers believe they have paid what is due, they should open the books and prove it, fast.