diff --git a/lib/app_state.dart b/lib/app_state.dart
index fea43c9..2ee0008 100644
--- a/lib/app_state.dart
+++ b/lib/app_state.dart
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
 import 'package:flutter/foundation.dart';
 import 'package:latlong2/latlong.dart';
+import 'package:shared_preferences/shared_preferences.dart';
 
 import 'models/node_profile.dart';
 import 'models/operator_profile.dart';
@@ -13,6 +14,8 @@ import 'services/offline_area_service.dart';
 import 'services/node_cache.dart';
 import 'services/tile_preview_service.dart';
 import 'services/changelog_service.dart';
+import 'services/operator_profile_service.dart';
+import 'services/profile_service.dart';
 import 'widgets/camera_provider_with_cache.dart';
 import 'state/auth_state.dart';
 import 'state/navigation_state.dart';
@@ -168,8 +171,26 @@ class AppState extends ChangeNotifier {
     // Attempt to fetch missing tile type preview tiles (fails silently)
     _fetchMissingTilePreviews();
     
-    await _operatorProfileState.init();
-    await _profileState.init();
+    // Check if we should add default profiles (first launch OR no profiles of each type exist)
+    final prefs = await SharedPreferences.getInstance();
+    const firstLaunchKey = 'profiles_defaults_initialized';
+    final isFirstLaunch = !(prefs.getBool(firstLaunchKey) ?? false);
+    
+    // Load existing profiles to check each type independently
+    final existingOperatorProfiles = await OperatorProfileService().load();
+    final existingNodeProfiles = await ProfileService().load();
+    
+    final shouldAddOperatorDefaults = isFirstLaunch || existingOperatorProfiles.isEmpty;
+    final shouldAddNodeDefaults = isFirstLaunch || existingNodeProfiles.isEmpty;
+    
+    await _operatorProfileState.init(addDefaults: shouldAddOperatorDefaults);
+    await _profileState.init(addDefaults: shouldAddNodeDefaults);
+    
+    // Mark defaults as initialized if this was first launch
+    if (isFirstLaunch) {
+      await prefs.setBool(firstLaunchKey, true);
+    }
+    
     await _suspectedLocationState.init(offlineMode: _settingsState.offlineMode);
     await _uploadQueueState.init();
     await _authState.init(_settingsState.uploadMode);
diff --git a/lib/models/operator_profile.dart b/lib/models/operator_profile.dart
index 1bc1e0b..3cbe87a 100644
--- a/lib/models/operator_profile.dart
+++ b/lib/models/operator_profile.dart
@@ -13,6 +13,28 @@ class OperatorProfile {
     required this.tags,
   });
 
+  /// Built-in default: Lowe's operator profile
+  factory OperatorProfile.lowes() => OperatorProfile(
+        id: 'builtin-lowes',
+        name: "Lowe's",
+        tags: const {
+          'operator': "Lowe's",
+          'operator:wikidata': 'Q1373493',
+          'operator:type': 'private',
+        },
+      );
+
+  /// Built-in default: The Home Depot operator profile  
+  factory OperatorProfile.homeDepot() => OperatorProfile(
+        id: 'builtin-home-depot',
+        name: 'The Home Depot',
+        tags: const {
+          'operator': 'The Home Depot',
+          'operator:wikidata': 'Q864407',
+          'operator:type': 'private',
+        },
+      );
+
   OperatorProfile copyWith({
     String? id,
     String? name,
diff --git a/lib/services/profile_service.dart b/lib/services/profile_service.dart
index aa5d836..c596532 100644
--- a/lib/services/profile_service.dart
+++ b/lib/services/profile_service.dart
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ class ProfileService {
     // MUST convert to List before jsonEncode; the previous MappedIterable
     // caused "Converting object to an encodable object failed".
     final encodable = profiles
-        .where((p) => !p.builtin)
         .map((p) => p.toJson())
         .toList(); // <- crucial
 
diff --git a/lib/state/operator_profile_state.dart b/lib/state/operator_profile_state.dart
index ff143bb..addbf12 100644
--- a/lib/state/operator_profile_state.dart
+++ b/lib/state/operator_profile_state.dart
@@ -8,8 +8,19 @@ class OperatorProfileState extends ChangeNotifier {
 
   List<OperatorProfile> get profiles => List.unmodifiable(_profiles);
 
-  Future<void> init() async {
+  Future<void> init({bool addDefaults = false}) async {
     _profiles.addAll(await OperatorProfileService().load());
+    
+    // Add default operator profiles if this is first launch
+    if (addDefaults) {
+      final defaults = [
+        OperatorProfile.lowes(),
+        OperatorProfile.homeDepot(),
+      ];
+      
+      _profiles.addAll(defaults);
+      await OperatorProfileService().save(_profiles);
+    }
   }
 
   void addOrUpdateProfile(OperatorProfile p) {
diff --git a/lib/state/profile_state.dart b/lib/state/profile_state.dart
index 4363e58..30ceccd 100644
--- a/lib/state/profile_state.dart
+++ b/lib/state/profile_state.dart
@@ -17,19 +17,28 @@ class ProfileState extends ChangeNotifier {
       _profiles.where(isEnabled).toList(growable: false);
 
   // Initialize profiles from built-in and custom sources
-  Future<void> init() async {
-    // Initialize profiles: built-in + custom
-    _profiles.add(NodeProfile.genericAlpr());
-    _profiles.add(NodeProfile.flock());
-    _profiles.add(NodeProfile.motorola());
-    _profiles.add(NodeProfile.genetec());
-    _profiles.add(NodeProfile.leonardo());
-    _profiles.add(NodeProfile.neology());
-    _profiles.add(NodeProfile.genericGunshotDetector());
-    _profiles.add(NodeProfile.shotspotter());
-    _profiles.add(NodeProfile.flockRaven());
+  Future<void> init({bool addDefaults = false}) async {
+    // Load custom profiles from storage
     _profiles.addAll(await ProfileService().load());
 
+    // Add built-in profiles if this is first launch
+    if (addDefaults) {
+      final builtinProfiles = [
+        NodeProfile.genericAlpr(),
+        NodeProfile.flock(),
+        NodeProfile.motorola(),
+        NodeProfile.genetec(),
+        NodeProfile.leonardo(),
+        NodeProfile.neology(),
+        NodeProfile.genericGunshotDetector(),
+        NodeProfile.shotspotter(),
+        NodeProfile.flockRaven(),
+      ];
+      
+      _profiles.addAll(builtinProfiles);
+      await ProfileService().save(_profiles);
+    }
+
     // Load enabled profile IDs from prefs
     final prefs = await SharedPreferences.getInstance();
     final enabledIds = prefs.getStringList(_enabledPrefsKey);
diff --git a/pubspec.yaml b/pubspec.yaml
index 168b9b9..8ec2e06 100644
--- a/pubspec.yaml
+++ b/pubspec.yaml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 name: deflockapp
 description: Map public surveillance infrastructure with OpenStreetMap
 publish_to: "none"
-version: 1.2.7+6   # The thing after the + is the version code, incremented with each release
+version: 1.2.8+7   # The thing after the + is the version code, incremented with each release
 
 environment:
   sdk: ">=3.5.0 <4.0.0"   # oauth2_client 4.x needs Dart 3.5+