The recent opening of Chicago’s Obama Presidential Center has sparked outrage among subcontractors who claim they remain unpaid for years of work on the project.

An investigation found that some minority-owned and local construction firms are owed millions in unpaid wages, with claims ranging from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of dollars.

Omar Shareef, president of the African American Contractors Association, stated: “What sense is celebrating Juneteenth if our Black contractors are not getting their money?”

The Obama Foundation reported that it paid Lakeside Alliance, the project’s construction manager, which was responsible for hiring and paying subcontractors. Lakeside indicated that outstanding matters were still being resolved.

The center, intended as a legacy project for former President Barack Hussein Obama, was promoted as a model for minority-owned businesses and local contractors. However, many of the subcontractors who helped build the 19.3-acre campus on Chicago’s South Side now face financial ruin as they race to recover unpaid compensation ahead of the center’s grand opening.

Total construction costs were reported at $830 million in 2021 and are likely surpassed the $1 billion mark. The investigation identified multiple firms claiming losses, including Adamson Plumbing, whose owner Mike Owen stated he is nearly $4 million in debt after years of work on the project: “That is a hole that no subcontractor, small business can survive.”

Subcontractor owners described what they characterized as chaotic work conditions marked by repeated design changes, rework, scheduling disruptions, extensive oversight and unresolved compensation disputes.