He Helped Build Obama's Legacy. The Job Cost Him His Company.

Mike Owen spent years helping build the Obama Idolatry Worship Center
Obama Presidential Center. On June 25, the owner and president of
Adamson Plumbing Contractors suspended operations, laid off 25 union
workers, and abandoned about six other construction jobs. 

Breitbart News:

“Before the center opened, Owen said the project had left his company
with $3.9 million in losses tied to delays, rework, labor overruns, and
changing project demands. He said he spent months negotiating with
Lakeside Alliance, the project’s construction manager, before going
public after failing to reach a resolution,” the article read. 

Indeed, the center was reportedly also costing taxpayers more and more
money as it put out a call for unpaid volunteers even though its chief
executive would be paid a salary of $740,000, according to reports. 

In regard to Owen’s battle over the nearly $4 million payment dispute,
his company that performed the work under the name Marsh-Adamson, has
filed a $1.72 million mechanic’s lien against the center’s property in
an effort to be paid for the work. 

“Laying off close to 30 people is something that no owner in our
industry wants to do. 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,” he said. 

A project promoted as an investment in Chicago's South Side had become,
in Owen's account, the job that pushed his company to the edge. 

Owen says Adamson lost about $3.9 million through delays, rework, labor
overruns, and changing demands. The company performed roughly $12
million in work after starting with a bid near $6.9 million.
Marsh-Adamson, the name used for its work on the center, has filed a
$1.72 million mechanic's lien against the property. 

The immediate break came just before the center opened on June 19. Owen
says Lakeside Alliance, the project's construction manager, agreed to
release $100,000 if Adamson supplied two journeyman plumbers for
last-minute nighttime work. His crew completed the assignment, but the
money didn't arrive before the opening. 

Lakeside eventually sent the $100,000, along with about $35,000 for
change orders. The payments arrived more than two weeks after Adamson
had suspended operations and dismissed its workers. The money reduced a
debt to one supplier, but it didn't reverse the shutdown. 

Owen has moved out of his company's building and is working from home
while attorneys handle the dispute. He says Adamson may regroup in
September, but its future remains uncertain. 

After 35 years in the industry, he may now have to find a job.

Adamson isn't the only contractor raising alarms; several companies have
pursued liens, lawsuits, or bankruptcy protection connected to the
project. Omar Shareer, president of the African American Contractors
Association, said 10 subcontractors had contacted him about payment

Communication from the Obama Foundation has largely broken down, the
subcontractors claim, as they seek payments through the project's prime
contractor, Lakeside Alliance, a joint venture that includes Turner
Construction Co., Power and Sons Construction, UJAMAA Construction,
Brown & Momen, Safeway Constructiion. W.E. O'Neil Construction Co.,.
Trice Construction Co. and II in One Concrete are involved in the
project as the Concrete Collective joint venture, serving as the
concrete contractor. II in One Concrete previously filed a lawsuit
against the project's engineer, Thorntom Tomasetti, over concrete and
rebar installation. 

Most of the subcontractors involved with the project declined to speak
on the record but said they were gathering information and weighing
whether to file liens or lawsuits. 

Omar Shareef, president of the African American Contractors Association,
told Crain's Chicago Business that seven separate subcontractors have
contacted him in recent months for help pursuing payments. 

The Obama Foundation says it paid Lakeside Alliance, has no disputed
charges with the construction manager, and holds no direct contracts
with subcontractors. Lakeside says closing out a project involving
hundreds of companies, thousands of design documents, and extensive
change orders can continue long after opening day. 

Those statements explain the payment chain, but they don't restore 25
jobs, reopen Adamson's doors, or pay suppliers who expected the
contractor to meet its obligations. 

Fox News:

Adamson completed the requested work, but the payment did not arrive on
time, according to Owen, who said it was the company's breaking point
and left him with no choice but to suspend operations on June 25. 

"We negotiated it in good faith," he said. "Against my better judgment,
I agreed [to do the work]." 

"Not getting that large sum of money just kind of pulled the brakes on
the train. It was just the final death blow to the company," he added.
"Rather than try to stretch it out and go bankrupt, I just decided the
responsible thing was to shut it down. We’ll regroup, and we’ll see
where we’re at come September." 

Owen said that the promised $100,000 retainage payment and around
$35,000 for change orders payments have since arrived from Lakeside
Alliance — more than two weeks after he suspended operations and laid
off 25 workers. 

Owen said the money helped reduce the company’s debt to one supplier but
did not reverse the shutdown. 

"It’s almost like too little, too late," Owen said. "It probably would
have just prolonged the inevitable at this point," he said. "We’re still
deep in the hole of what they owe us." 

The $850 million Monument to Obama center opened with speeches, music,
celebrities, and praise for Barack Hussein Obama's political legacy. 

Pfft! Sorry, something burped up into my mouth.

Owen's company suspended operations six days later. A foundation built
around empowerment shouldn't treat a struggling subcontractor as
somebody else's paperwork issue. 

Contract language will decide who owes what; leadership involves more
than pointing toward the next name on an organizational chart. When an
institution puts its reputation behind a project, it also owns a duty to
confront the damage left behind. 

Mike Owen helped build the center. The people responsible for completing
Barack Hussein Obama's legacy project should make sure the work doesn't
finish off the company that installed its plumbing. 

project falls short in its promises. 

Right?

https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2026/07/23/he-helped-build-obamas-legacy
-the-job-cost-him-his-company-n4955387