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

FEATURED PRO: Gene Vollendorf is president and portfolio manager of Savoy Capital Management (www.savoycapital.ca). He manages the Gladiator LP fund, a long/short hedge fund.

Fund Form: The Gladiator LP fund has a three-year return of 18.8 per cent compared to a return of 6.9 per cent for the S&P/TSX index for the same period.

Management Expense Ratio: 1.5 per cent (plus incentives).

Gene Vollendorf

Vollendorf's View: "For the past two years, an investor did not have to discriminate between what commodity-related investments one should own.

The investment landscape has changed and materials with supply and demand in balance have started to underperform, specifically aluminum, hot-rolled steel and polyethylene, while commodities in tight supply globally, such as oil, are continuing to perform well.

"The low interest-rate environment is supportive for equities as a whole, especially for companies with high return-on-capital projects on the horizon, as well as companies that offer attractive return on equity while reinvesting in their companies and redistributing excess cash back to shareholders. The low interest rate environment combined with overall healthy corporate balance sheets will likely result in robust merger-and-acquisition activity on a go-forward basis."

First Star

* ACE Aviation Holdings (TSX: ACE.RV)

* Recent Price: $41.35.

* 52-Week Range: $21-$41.50.

* Snapshot: ACE is the airline holding company that owns subsidiaries Air Canada, Jazz Air and Aeroplan.

* CEO: Robert Milton.

* Head Office: Montreal.

* Vital Stats: Revenue (last 12 mos), $9.10 million; Earnings/Loss (last 12 mos), $653,000 Loss; Market Cap, $3.67 billion; Shares Outstanding, 88.8 million.

* Vollendorf's View: "Financially, we believe this company can continue to surprise on the upside, especially if oil prices stabilize. We believe the value of ACE's subsidiaries are undervalued as they are trading at the low multiple that legacy airline stocks typically trade at. A spinout of certain subsidiaries has the potential to provide shareholders with significant upside. The company is in the process of spinning out a portion of its Aeroplan asset in the form of an income trust. We believe the company's technical services subsidiary is being prepared for a spinout that could happen as early as spring 2006. Our target price is $48."

* Vollendorf's Risk Rating: High.

* Web Watch: www.aircanada.com

Second Star

* Rentcash Inc. (TSX: RCS)

* Recent Price: $20.25.

* 52-Week Range: $1.25-$23.20.

* Snapshot: Rentcash operates two businesses. It brokers payday cash advances for customers seeking short-term loans. In addition, it provides furniture financing through outlets located inside the Brick stores.

* CEO: Gordon Reykdal.

* Head Office: Edmonton.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 75.6; Revenue (last 12 mos), $40 million; Earnings (last 12 mos), $4.2 million; Market Cap, $352.06 million; Shares Outstanding, 17.3 million.

* Vollendorf's View: "Rentcash is now Canada's largest payday loan provider with its latest acquisition and can increase its national coverage from 330 stores to over 500 over the next 30 months. The company is really in the sweet spot in its growth curve and is expected to increase its earnings per share over 100 per cent over the next 15 months to $1.65 (per share). This undiscovered stock trades at 12 times earnings and should move up significantly as the market gains an appreciation for the robust operating fundamentals. We think a $25 target is achievable in the short term."

* Vollendorf's Risk Rating: High.

* Web Watch: www.rentcash.ca

Third Star

* Highpine Oil and Gas Ltd. (HPX-TSX)

* Recent Price: $20.15.

* 52-Week Range: $16.60-$20.25.

* Snapshot: Highpine is an oil and gas company with its core asset base located in the Pembina/Nisku area of Western Canada.

* CEO: Gordon Stollery.

* Head Office: Calgary.

* Vital Stats: Revenue (last 12 mos), $42.10 million; Earnings (last 12 mos), $3.18 million; Market Cap, $497.87 million; Shares Outstanding, 24.7 million.

* Vollendorf's View: "We believe Highpine will deliver substantial production growth over the next 18-24 months as a result of their success in the Pembina/Nisku area.

Current production is between 7,000-7,500 (barrels of oil equivalent per day). We expect production to double in 2006 from current levels and we expect further production growth to materialize as a result of Highpine's dominant land position, deep drilling inventory and proven management.

Gordon Stollery has an excellent track record of value creation."

* Vollendorf's Risk Rating: High.

* Web Watch: www.highpineog.com

Vollendorf's Edge Record (last 12 mos): +1.5 per cent. Best Pick: ACE Aviation (TSX: ACE.RV) +43.9 per cent. Worst Pick: Canoro Resources (TSXV: CNS) -47.9 per cent.

Disclosure: The featured stocks are held in the Gladiator LP fund.

(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.)