Lobbyists form new firm

Three top lobbyists have formed a new lobbying and government relations firm. 

Jack Cozort, Theresa Kostrzewa and Gene Ainsworth have created North State Strategies. Cozort, Kostrzewa and Ainsworth's separate client roster in the last session included Dell, News Corp. (MySpace), Reynolds American, Smithfield Foods and Walmart.

Cozort is a former appeals court judge who has spent the
past 12 years in government relations at the Womble Carlyle and Parker Poe law firms.
Kostrzewa has run Capitol Advantage
Associates, an independent government relations firm, for fifteen years.

Ainsworth spent 26 years as a
government relations officer with RJ Reynolds before retiring in 2005 to
form his own North Carolina government relations and consulting firm.