The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Monday honored its outstanding employees for 2008 at its annual Incentive and Service Awards ceremony for exemplary service to the public.

Awards were given in six categories:

• Employee of the Year, staff attorney John T. Hassler, staff attorney of the Regulated Industries Complaints Office. Hassler, an eight-year state employee, prosecutes cases involving professional and vocational licensing violations.

• Manager of the Year, Lance K. Hirano, chief financial analyst, Insurance Division. Hirano leads the Financial Surveillance Branch and has implemented a comprehensive and in-depth process to monitor and analyze the financial condition of domestic insurance companies.

• Team of the Year, Administrative Services Office — Fiscal Staff, Accounting Services and Cashiering Services Section. The team provides payment processing and collections services to the public and to the various DCCA divisions.

• The Spirit of DCCA, Melanie Yoshida, office assistant, Division of Financial Institutions. Yoshida spearheaded DCCA's "Support our Troops" project to send care packages to our Hawai'i military men and women in uniform.

• Service Award, Theresa Anne K. Kong Kee, investor education specialist, Business Registration Division. Kee was honored for developing an investor education program that has reached more than 60,000 people.

• The Merlin Award , D.B. Griffin III, commissioner, Division of Financial Institutions. The award is given to the DCCA employee who, like the legendary magician Merlin, "exhibits wizardry by forecasting the future and leading or guiding the department to meet up with the future."