Owner of troubled home foundation company dies

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The owner of a troubled home elevation firm has died, the city of Houston confirms.

Bobby Fischer, listed owner of Titan Foundation, died Monday. Details of how he died weren't immediately available.

Titan was among the vetted city contractors approved in 2016. Work abruptly stopped a few weeks ago on homes the city contracted work for.

The city of Houston is determining what the next steps are, a city representative said.

"I am absolutely outraged," said council member Ellen Cohen two weeks ago when the news came to light. "We must do everything in our power to help these homeowners and get their homes elevated as soon as possible."

13 Investigates wanted to know how this company was allowed to get these city jobs. The city gave Titan Foundations and Absolute Concrete contracts to elevate at least four homes.

Titan's owner, Bobby Fischer, responded to ABC13 emails twice July 26, telling us he would call to explain the situation. That call never came.

The named owner of Absolute Concrete didn't respond to calls to two different phone numbers and as many emails.

And in meetings with the city, it appears Titan didn't explain the situation much either.

A quick check of business records for Absolute Concrete's owner reveals its other companies lost the right to do business in Texas twice due to tax office issues in July 2017. Weeks later, it opened a new company to do business with the city.

For the latest investigations, follow Ted on Facebook and Twitter.

Have a tip for Ted Oberg? A problem to solve? Get in touch with us on our tip page, or send a tip below. (On mobile? You can open our form by tapping here.)