(Business Edge writer Sharon Adams regularly profiles the top stock picks of some of Canada's most accomplished investment pros.)

FEATURED PRO: Martin Ferguson is a director and portfolio manager with Calgary-based Mawer Investment Management Ltd. (www.mawer.com).

He is the lead manager of the Mawer New Canada Fund as well as the Guardian Group of Funds Enterprise Fund.

Fund Form: The Mawer New Canada fund has a three-year annualized return of 20.08 per cent as compared to the group average return of 15.7 per cent (as of Jan. 31). The fund has an annualized return of 15.81 per cent over the last 19 years.

Martin Ferguson

Management Expense Ratio: 1.5 per cent.

Ferguson's Strategy: "We focus on wealth-creating companies, companies with very strong competitive advantages. We try to buy these companies below their intrinsic value as measured on a discounted cashflow basis.

"We follow a bottom-up approach and are finding opportunities in a number of different sectors since the market turmoil of the last two months. The BMO small-cap index fell 8.7 per cent, and nine of 10 market sectors fell. It has not changed our strategy; we're perennially conservative. There have been no major shifts, but we have found opportunities in six of the 10 sectors."

First Star

* Parkbridge Lifestyle Communities Inc. (TSX:PRK, PRK.A)

* Recent Price: $6.25

* 52-Week Range: $4.50 to $6.94

* Snapshot: Owner, operator and developer of residential and recreational land-lease communities, including 63 adult, family, seniors, cottage, marina, chalet and waterfront communities located in Alberta, B.C., Ontario and Quebec.

* Co-CEOs: David Rozycki and Iain Stewart

* Head Office: Calgary

* Vital Stats: Price/Earnings Ratio: 34.28; Revenue (last 12 mos): $36.4 million; Earnings (last 12 mos): $14.9 million; Market Cap: $385 million; One-Year Earnings Growth: 53 per cent; One-Year Revenue Growth: 68 per cent.

* Ferguson's View: "As a real estate company that leases land, its real estate assets have minimal depreciation and maintenance costs. They have high occupancy rates and low vacancy risk. Parkbridge was able to increase its average rent in 2007 by 6.9 per cent and is expecting a similar increase next year. It's a company that is conservatively financed and can grow organically and through acquisitions."

* Risk Rating: Medium

* Web Watch: www.parkbridge.ca

Second Star

* Neo Materials Technologies Inc. (TSX:NEM)

* Recent Price: $4.50

* 52-Week Range: $1.58 to $5.09

* Snapshot: Neo Materials' two divisions, Magnequench International Inc. and AMR Performance Materials, produce, process and develop neodymium-iron-boron magnetic powders for the manufacture of bonded magnets, and rare earth- and zirconium-engineered materials used for magnets, micromotors and sensors in high-technology products such as televisions, computer equipment and consumer electronics. Production facilities are located in China.

* CEO: Constantine Karayannopoulos

* Head Office: Toronto

* Vital Stats: Price/Earnings Ratio: 10.9; Revenue (last 12 mos): $164.5 million; Earnings (last 12 mos): $27.8 million; Three-Year Earnings Growth: 320.85 per cent; Three-Year Revenue Growth: 41.64 per cent; Market Cap: $357 million; Shares Outstanding: 79 million.

* Ferguson's View: "Neo Materials Technologies has nearly 90 per cent of the world-wide market share. Its patent protection has been extended from 2009 to 2014. It has a near-monopoly position in a rapidly growing market. It will gain share from inferior ferrite magnets as the trend towards miniaturization and proliferation of electronic products increases. The company produces huge free cashflow, which it's using to pay down its debts, has a high return on equity and a low price/earnings ratio."

* Risk Rating: High

* Web Watch: www.magnequench.com

Third Star

* Transat A.T. Inc. (TSX:TRZ.A)

* Recent Price: $35.20

* 52-Week Range: $23.53 to $38.06

* Snapshot: Transat A.T.

Inc. is Canada's largest leisure travel company and one of the largest integrated tour operators in the world, specializing in organization, marketing and distribution of holiday travel.

* CEO: Jean-Marc Eustache

* Head Office: Montreal

* Vital Stats: Price/Earnings Ratio: 13.76; Revenue (last 12 mos): $2.62 billion; Earnings (last 12 mos): $65.8 million; Five-Year Earnings Growth: 13.54 per cent; Five-Year Revenue Growth: 7.52 per cent; Market Cap: $1.198 billion; Shares Outstanding: 34 million; Dividend Yield: 1.04

* Ferguson's View: "Transat is well positioned and well managed. It has a long track record at creating wealth; although interrupted by 9/11, it has rebuilt. It has a pristine balance sheet and can increase shareholder wealth through share buy-backs or acquisitions and we expect them to do both. It also generates a huge free cashflow and has an ROE in the mid-20s. Cost-cutting measures includes cutting commissions on distressed holiday packages, and signing a capacity exchange agreement with Sunquest to cross-sell products, making more efficient use of planes."

* Risk Rating: Medium

* Web Watch: www.transat.com (Sharon Adams can be reached at sharon@businessedge.ca)