Most of us would be thrilled to invest in a stock that doubles our money, but it certainly isn't easy to find these stocks. According to data provider Capital IQ, in the last year only 1.4% of 6,700 stocks trading on the U.S. exchanges were able to double their price.

BusinessWeek started hunting some of these potentially great stocks by asking fund managers to choose those firms expected to provide 100% returns in the next few years. Of course, the resulting list is by no means a sure thing, since major factors such as the ongoing credit crisis and challenging market conditions could affect results in unpredictable ways.

But let's look at some of the strategies used when picking high-potential stocks.

Mary Lisanti, portfolio manager at the Adams Harkness Small Cap Growth Fund, focuses on young companies in the small-cap segment. She points to stocks like Rubicon Technology (NASDAQ: RBCN) and Titan Machinery Inc. (NASDAQ: TITN), saying that investors can have a big advantage when they recognize potential before the market does.

Apogee Enterprises (NASDAQ: APOG) designs and develops value-added glass products, services and systems. The architectural products and services division makes and installs glass walls and windows for commercial and institutional buildings. The large-scale optical segment manufactures glass and acrylics for the custom picture framing market and produces optical thin-film coatings for consumer electronics displays. The Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) is a leading commercial client. PPG Industries (NYSE: PPG) is a major competitor.

The firm pleased investors last week, when it reported Q4 EPS of 49 cents and revenues of $243.3 million. Analysts had been expecting 45 cents and $236.1 million. Management also guided FY09 EPS to $1.82-$1.94 ($1.72 consensus) and FY09 revenues to $987.6 million-$1.0 billion ($963.0M consensus). Company backlog was said to be at a record level. Jesup & Lamont subsequently reiterated its "buy" recommendation on the issue and declared a $28 price target.