Dave Rigo

Dave Rigo is co-founder of Watershed Distillery in Columbus, Ohio, which he started in 2010 with his business partner Greg Lehman. The two left their corporate day jobs, raised about $180,000 and set out to build a business in the community where they both grew up, with a modest first goal: a company that could support two families.

Watershed began with a single still and small 30-gallon barrels. Within five years it had grown to three stills and 10,000 square feet, sourcing as much as possible from within Ohio, with a lineup that includes Four Peel Gin, Bourbon Barrel Gin, vodka, bourbon, nocino and a bottled Old Fashioned. In 2017 it became the first Ohio distillery to open an on-site restaurant, Watershed Kitchen & Bar, after a change in state law. The distillery marked its 15th anniversary in 2025, and its staff now describe it as the largest distillery in the state.