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A Chicago plumbing contractor that worked on the Obama Presidential Center has shut down operations, laid off 25 union employees, and entered a legal battle after claiming his company suffered nearly $4 million in losses connected to the project, as reported by Fox News.

Mike Owen, owner of Chicago-based Adamson Plumbing Contractors, told Fox News Digital that the financial impact of the dispute forced the company to walk away from roughly six other construction projects. He said suspending operations was the only way to avoid bankruptcy.

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

Adamson Plumbing performed work at the Obama Presidential Center under the name Marsh-Adamson. The company has now filed a $1.72 million mechanic’s lien against the property, claiming it remains owed money for plumbing work completed at the Chicago campus.

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The dispute comes weeks after the Obama Presidential Center officially opened in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side.

Owen previously told Fox News Digital that the project left his company with approximately $3.9 million in losses tied to project delays, labor overruns, rework and changing construction demands.

He said he spent months attempting to negotiate with Lakeside Alliance, the project’s construction manager, before deciding to publicly discuss the dispute.

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According to Owen, Adamson and Lakeside Alliance reached an agreement before the June 19 opening under which his company would provide two journeyman plumbers to complete last-minute housekeeping work during premium nighttime hours.

In exchange, Owen said Adamson was supposed to receive part of its outstanding payment before the center opened.

An email reviewed by Fox News Digital reportedly showed a Lakeside representative informing Owen that $100,000 would be released through Adamson’s May payment application.

Owen said his company completed the requested work, but the payment did not arrive before he suspended operations on June 25.

“We negotiated it in good faith,” he said.

“Against my better judgment, I agreed.”

“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 the promised $100,000 retainage payment and approximately $35,000 for change orders eventually arrived more than two weeks after operations had already been suspended.

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

He said the money reduced debt owed to one supplier but did not change the company’s situation.

Owen also said Adamson has vacated its office building and that he is now working from home while attorneys handle the dispute.

The newly filed mechanic’s lien seeks $1.72 million, though Owen said he continues to pursue the broader $3.9 million he believes the company lost during the project.

“It doesn’t mean that I’m not going to pursue the $3.9 million in change that we lost overall,” Owen said.

“I’m still working with my legal team on that $3.9 million figure because I feel that it’s only right that we still hold ownership at the presidential center accountable.”

Owen said he initially tried to avoid legal action while seeking a negotiated settlement.

“I’m not a litigious person, but at the same time, our legal system is there to protect the small guy,” Owen said.

“I’m just going to have to fight this out legally from here on out, and these aren’t cheap costs.”

Lakeside Alliance, a joint venture led by Turner Construction along with UJAMAA Construction, Powers & Sons Construction, Brown & Momen and Safeway Construction, served as construction manager for the project.

The alliance previously said approximately 475 contractors worked on the Obama Presidential Center.

In its latest statement, Lakeside said that contractual closeout on projects of this size continues long after construction is complete.

“Lakeside Alliance remains committed to working through all outstanding matters to successfully close out the project,” a spokesperson said.

The Obama Foundation said Lakeside Alliance was responsible for managing subcontractor payments and stated it had no outstanding disputed charges with the construction manager.

The foundation also said it exceeded industry standards by using a 15-day payment cycle and, in some cases, accelerating payments or advancing funds before work was completed.

The project has also drawn attention for rising construction costs. Initially estimated at about $350 million, costs had climbed to $830 million by 2021 and have since reportedly exceeded $1 billion.

Questions have also been raised after only $1 million was deposited into a planned $470 million reserve intended to protect Chicago taxpayers.

The Obama Foundation secured the 19.3-acre Jackson Park site through a 99-year lease requiring a one-time $10 payment.

Reflecting on the experience, Owen said the project has taken a heavy personal toll.

“This entire process really drained me out financially and emotionally,” Owen said. “So that’s where I’m at — just kind of in a holding pattern.”

He said the center’s opening celebration, which featured Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera, John Legend, Bono, The Edge and others, made the situation even more difficult for subcontractors who were still seeking payment.

“There would be holy hell to pay,” Owen said.

“They would be picketing. They would be storming the castle.”

Owen also questioned why Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker had not publicly addressed the payment disputes or the union layoffs.

“But he hasn’t said anything publicly about the union companies at the presidential center getting stiffed,” Owen said. “And it bothers me.”

Pritzker’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Owen said he is not blaming former President Barack Obama personally but believes the Obama Foundation should recognize the subcontractors’ concerns and work toward resolving them.

“It’s become perfectly obvious to me that the ownership group there — they truthfully just don’t care,” he said.

“I don’t know any other way to say it.”

He added that many contractors believed the disputes would be settled once construction concluded.

“But I think a lot of us out there, the main subcontractors, all still had this feeling that it was going to be worked out in the end — until it wasn’t,” he said.

Looking ahead, Owen said he is uncertain whether Adamson Plumbing will reopen.

“I mean, the only leverage I have now is just to continue speaking out and see where it goes,” he said.

“But my career — it’s funny — I’m going to have to go find a job, which is fine. It’s just that I did not anticipate the completion of this project would take this turn.”

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