Since 1948, Bair’s Lawn & Garden in North Kent, Ohio, has been a trusted name in outdoor power equipment. Family-owned and community-rooted, they’ve served generations of homeowners and professionals with high-quality products and service. They pride themselves in providing great brands and fully stocked parts, with knowledgeable and experienced staff.
We sat down with Bill Alabakovski, Owner of Bair’s Lawn & Garden, to talk about how for the last 38 years IDEAL has played a critical role in the growth, efficiency, and modernization of his dealership, from early days to today’s e-commerce integrations.
A System That Grows With the Dealership
What has kept Bair’s committed to IDEAL for nearly four decades?
“What we like most about IDEAL is how receptive the team is to features, updates, and suggestions. They listen—and they build the system in a way that not only helps us but other dealers too.”
This kind of customization and responsiveness is key to how Bair’s has maintained its competitive edge. According to Bill, IDEAL isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” system—it’s a solution that adapts to how their business runs, not the other way around.
Improved Integrations, Greater Efficiency
IDEAL’s ability to connect with suppliers and OEMs has streamlined previously time-consuming tasks, improving order accuracy, reducing manual steps, and speeding up operations.
Bill highlights key features that have had a major impact; electronic purchase orders, warranty registrations, and receiving enhancements.
Bill: “We can now electronically send purchase orders directly to our OEMs. No more logging into separate portals—it’s all within IDEAL. That (warranty registration) process used to eat up a lot of time. Now, IDEAL’s interfaces have made it seamless. We’re working with the team on some new receiving features, and the collaboration has been great.”
Why Bair’s Stuck with IDEAL
In an industry full of software vendors vying for attention, Bair’s has stayed loyal to IDEAL—and for good reason.
“There are a lot of brands out there, but we’ve stuck with IDEAL for 38 years. That says something. They don’t try to make us change how we do business—they respond to what we need.”
Diving Into E-Commerce with Target Web
One of the most exciting developments for Bair’s in recent months? Launching their first-ever e-commerce platform through TargetWeb.
Bill: “We’ve never done e-commerce before, so this was new for us. But the onboarding with TargetWeb was smooth. The team walked us through everything.”
With their Shopify site now live and fully integrated with TargetWeb, Bair’s is already seeing results:
“E-commerce took off right away. And the best part is how TargetWeb syncs with IDEAL—pricing, inventory, everything. No more updating in two places.”
This seamless connection saves time, reduces errors, and provides customers with real-time product availability.
IDEAL: The Backbone of the Operation
As the conversation wrapped up, we asked Bill to reflect on the role IDEAL has played in his business over nearly four decades.
“IDEAL is the backbone of our operation. Honestly, we’ve probably only tapped into 60% of what it can do. Every time we discover a new feature, it reduces stress, streamlines a process, and makes our day easier. IDEAL has truly helped us succeed—and made our jobs a lot less stressful along the way.”
