The Globe and Mail attempts to identify Canadian companies that rank highly in earnings quality, credit health and their ability to generate "alpha," according to Thomson Reuters StarMine models, in its Wednesday, May 19, edition. The Globe's Ryan Gottschalk writes in the Number Cruncher column that finding alpha -- stocks that consistently achieve positive risk-adjusted returns -- is no easy task in today's market. Behind each investment process may lie dozens of investment professionals, each specializing in their own area of expertise and providing valuable insight toward the final decision. The Thomson Reuters Combined Alpha Model condenses this process down into a single score that combines various quantitative models proven to be predictive in nature. Mr. Gottschalk looks to identify Canadian-based companies that are poised to deliver alpha based on this model. For liquidity purposes all companies included have a market capitalization of at least $300-million and a Combined Alpha Model score of at least 80 to signify potential growth opportunities. Firms poised to deliver alpha are Bird Construction, Newmarket Gold, Semafo, Genworth MI Canada and Exco Technologies.