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.”
🚨“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