(Business Edge columnist Gyle Konotopetz regularly profiles the top stock picks of some of Canada's most accomplished investment pros.)

FEATURED PRO: Martin Ferguson is a partner with Mawer Investment Management (www.mawer.com) and manages the small-cap Mawer New Canada Fund. He is also on the management team for the Mawer Canadian Equity Fund.

Fund Form: The Mawer New Canada has a one-year return of 24.3 per cent compared to the small-cap group average of 13.4 per cent and a five-year compound return of 22.8 per cent compared to the group average of 9.1 per cent.

Management Expense Ratio: 1.51 per cent.

Ferguson's Perspective: "Looking at the small-cap segment of the market and using the Nesbitt Burns Small Cap Index as the benchmark, small caps have underperformed large caps for the past two quarters (January through June) and small caps have underperformed large caps in four of the past five quarters.

"We think that one of the reasons they've underperformed is because people are worried that we're at an end of an economic cycle. So, considering that small caps have lagged large caps, we've become a little more positive on the outlook for small caps than we have been for a little while. The evaluations for small caps are looking a little more attractive."

First Star

* VFC Inc.

(TSX:VFC)

* Recent Price: $10.99.

* 52-Week Range: $7.50-$11.70.

* Snapshot: VFC is an indirect consumer financing company that provides services in two basic product lines - non-prime automobile purchase financing and consumer instalment loans.

* CEO: Charles Stewart.

* Head Office: Toronto.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 18; Revenue (last 12 mos), $46.6 million; Earnings (last 12 mos), $9.6 million; Market Cap, $167.1 million; Shares Outstanding, 15.2 million.

* Ferguson's View: "I like this company basically because of the market they're in. They provide financing for people buying cars who can't go through banks. They make their money on the spread between the interest they charge and the cost of doing business. The biggest risk for this company is if their losses from bad loans were to increase."

* Ferguson's Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web Watch: www.vfc.ca

Second Star

* Global Railway Industries (TSX:GBI)

* Recent Price: $3.70.

* 52-Week Range: $3.40-$6.

* Snapshot: Global Railway is a full-service supplier of railway maintenance equipment. Subsidiaries include Bach Simpson Corp., G&B Specialties, Prime Railway Services and YSD Industries.

* CEO: Michael Kohut.

* Head Office: Calgary.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 52.9; Revenue (last 12 mos), $38.8 million; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, 46 per cent; Earnings (last 12 mos), $1.2 million; Market Cap, $52.4 million; Shares Outstanding, 14.2 million.

* Ferguson's View: "The stock has come off because it has taken longer than expected for them to turn around YSD Industries (a railcar door manufacturer), but those operations are now working quite well so we see good earnings growth going forward for the company."

* Ferguson's Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web Watch: www.globalrailway.com

Third Star

* Contrans Income Fund (TSX:CSS.UN)

* Recent Price: $13.70.

* 52-Week Range: $11.33-$17.

* Snapshot: Contrans provides freight and school bus transportation services across Canada through a fleet of more than 1,300 tractors, more than 2,100 trailers and more than 800 school buses.

* CEO: Stan Dunford.

* Head Office: Woodstock, Ont.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 15.4; Revenue (last 12 mos), $391.7 million; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, 6.5 per cent; Earnings (last 12 mos), $25.2 million; 5-Yr Earnings Growth, 6.6 per cent; Market Cap, $382.6 million; Shares Outstanding, 27.9 million; Monthly Cash Distribution, 10.42 cents per unit; Dividend Yield, 9.1 per cent.

* Ferguson's View: "They have a very good business model as they use owner-operators for a lot of their trucking rather than putting their own capital up, and we think it's attractively priced here."

* Ferguson's Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web Watch: www.contrans.ca

Ferguson's Edge Record (past 12 mos): +11.6 per cent. Best Pick: Steeplejack Industrial (TSX: SID) +56.6 per cent. Worst Pick: Russel Metals (TSX: RUS) -14.2 per cent.

Disclosure: Mawer partners are restricted from owning shares in equities held in the company's funds, but may own shares in the funds.

(This feature is provided for information purposes. Investors are advised to do their own research or consult a qualified investment professional before making investment decisions.)