Richard P. Tokarski AIA, LEED AP
Architect / Principal
Richard Tokarski is the founding Principal of Tokarski Millemann Architects, LLC. He went into private practice in 1999 after working for two of New Jersey’s largest school design firms. While his early career touted extensive work on K-12 educational facilities, his current experience includes religious facilities, restaurants, and commercial ventures and high-end custom modern residential homes.
Rick enjoys listening to his clients and finds himself inspired by their stories, their passions and their dreams. He feels it is his job as an architect to transform their dreams, however abstract, into an artistic integration expressed in a built form. This is the language of architecture. This synthesis of forms is done through brainstorm sketching, model making and periodically by what he refers to as ‘a divine download’: an idea is birthed out of his inspired spirit — true inspiration.
Some of Rick’s religious projects include a Family Center at the Church of Grace and Peace in Toms River and a renovated building in Jersey City to house the Hope Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. In the higher education arena, he managed the MicroBiology Laboratory, Food Science Laboratory, Genetics Counseling Offices and a DNA Repository Building for Rutgers University and designed an athletic field house for St. Peter’s University. He has worked with the Playa Bowls, Jersey Mike’s and Bubbakoo’s Burritos to establish stores throughout New Jersey. Rick is passionate about distinctive designs that foster creative solutions for his clients. His experience in custom residential projects is comprehensive and includes: new custom homes, major additions, flood elevations, interior and exterior alterations.
Mr. Tokarski has also completed extensive renovations of existing buildings for seven Ashley Furniture HomeStore locations in New Jersey and Staten Island. Working with the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey, he has guided the process of a new Masterplan for Camp Agnes DeWitt in Hillsborough, which includes a new activities building. His varied experience does not end there. Additionally, he has assisted Irwin Lincoln-Mercury-Mazda in obtaining planning board and historical review committee approval for the expansion of their dealership and facility in Freehold Township. He also completed an addition and EBE program upgrades to Richard Lucas Chevrolet in Avenel.
Prior to starting his career, Rick had the privilege of traveling throughout Italy, France and Switzerland, studying architecture and enhancing his formal education. Mr. Tokarski, his wife Joanne, and their four children reside in Brick Township.
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Michael J. Millemann AIA, LEED AP, NCARB
Architect / Principal
Michael Millemann is one of the founding Principals of Tokarski Millemann Architects. Mike initially joined the firm in 2005 after working for a decade with one of the premier k-12 school design firms in the northeast, and in 2007 decided to take the next step in his professional career and unite with Rick to form their partnership. As Principal, Mike finds himself working on a variety of projects that include institutional, educational, retail and other building types.
Mike has extensive knowledge of school facilities and design, as well as, experience working with administrators, staff and various state agencies. He has worked with the Mahwah Board of Education on projects varying in scale from a few hundred thousand dollar renovation to multi-million dollar facilities. Mike continues to work with many schools throughout the state which include districts in Bergen, Monmouth, Ocean, Hunterdon, Middlesex and Somerset Counties. These affiliations, together with his LEED accreditation, have allowed him to initiate sustainable energy projects in a number of school districts whenever possible. He takes advantage of every opportunity to generate millions of kilowatt hours of energy while saving the environment from millions of pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. The largest solar project to date stems from the Keyport School District which offsets more than $100,000 of electrical expenses for the district each year.
In addition to the plethora of schools that Mike has had the privilege to transform; he has much experience in many other venues such as restaurants, corporations, religious institutions, car dealerships, various retail settings and of course, residential. He has also created designs for municipalities and the NJ Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Higher educational institutions are also on the list of his accomplishments.
Each and every project is given Mike’s full attention as he concerns himself with ensuring communication is clearly established and maintained throughout the project process. This allows him to maintain his impressive track record of completing projects on time and on budget.
Mike believes that it is his duty as a licensed practitioner to promote architecture and foster its growth. Not long after licensure, he began a mentor program with High School students considering a future in architecture and mentored four interns involved with the IDP process. That tradition followed him to Tokarski Millemann Architects where the principals firmly believe in employing interns and sponsoring them through the IDP process, encouraging them to pursue their licenses.
Mr. Millemann, his wife Renee, and their three children reside in Toms River.
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