Obama Center subcontractor faces $4 MILLION loss, lays off 25 amid payment dispute

The Obama Presidential Center opened with promises of economic opportunity for Chicago’s South Side, but now, one subcontractor says the project left his company fighting for survival.

Adamson Plumbing Contractors, a Chicago-based company that worked on the center under the name Marsh-Adamson, has suspended operations and laid off 25 union employees after owner Mike Owen says the company was left nearly $4 million in the hole following years of construction disputes, delays and unpaid costs.

Owen told Fox News that the company’s collapse came after months of unsuccessful negotiations over money he says Adamson was owed for plumbing work, labor overruns and project changes. “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.”