diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr.yaml b/.github/workflows/pr.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0e5488491
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+name: Pull Request
+on:
+  - pull_request
+jobs:
+  test-build:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        python-version: [3.7]
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v1
+      - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v1
+        with:
+          python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+      - name: Upgrade pip
+        run: |
+          python -m pip install --upgrade pip wheel
+      - name: Build wheel
+        run: |
+          export BOTO_CONFIG=/dev/null
+          python setup.py bdist_wheel
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yaml b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..202562270
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+name: Release
+on:
+  release:
+    types: [published]
+jobs:
+  publish:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        python-version: [3.7]
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v1
+      - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v1
+        with:
+          python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+      - name: Upgrade pip & wheel
+        run: python -m pip install --upgrade pip wheel
+      - name: Set wheel version
+        run: echo "KAFKA_PYTHON_VERSION=${GITHUB_REF#refs/*/}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+      - name: Build wheel
+        run: |
+          export BOTO_CONFIG=/dev/null
+          python setup.py bdist_wheel
+      - name: Publish wheels
+        uses: inmar/actions-dpn-python-publish@v1.0.0
+        with:
+          pypi_hostname: ${{ secrets.DPN_PYPI_HOSTNAME }}
+          pypi_username: ${{ secrets.DPN_PYPI_USERNAME }}
+          pypi_password: ${{ secrets.DPN_PYPI_PASSWORD }}
diff --git a/.whitesource b/.whitesource
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e33dfd56a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.whitesource
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "settingsInheritedFrom": "inmar/whitesource-config@master"
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/conf.py b/docs/conf.py
index efa8d0807..b3506d00f 100644
--- a/docs/conf.py
+++ b/docs/conf.py
@@ -50,15 +50,8 @@
 project = u'kafka-python'
 copyright = u'2016 -- Dana Powers, David Arthur, and Contributors'
 
-# The version info for the project you're documenting, acts as replacement for
-# |version| and |release|, also used in various other places throughout the
-# built documents.
-#
-# The short X.Y version.
-exec(open('../kafka/version.py').read())
-
 # The full version, including alpha/beta/rc tags.
-release = __version__
+release = ""
 
 # The language for content autogenerated by Sphinx. Refer to documentation
 # for a list of supported languages.
diff --git a/kafka/client_async.py b/kafka/client_async.py
index 58f22d4ec..9085a4a70 100644
--- a/kafka/client_async.py
+++ b/kafka/client_async.py
@@ -154,6 +154,12 @@ class KafkaClient(object):
             sasl mechanism handshake. Default: one of bootstrap servers
         sasl_oauth_token_provider (AbstractTokenProvider): OAuthBearer token provider
             instance. (See kafka.oauth.abstract). Default: None
+        keep_warm (int): The level of extra work to do to keep connections warm.
+            0: Nothing extra. After bootstrapping, no extra connections will be
+                made, and idle connections will be closed.
+            1: Reopen idle connections after closing (after connections_max_idle_ms)
+            2: In addition to (1), after bootstrapping, connect to all leader brokers 
+                immediately rather than waiting for first send.
     """
 
     DEFAULT_CONFIG = {
@@ -192,7 +198,8 @@ class KafkaClient(object):
         'sasl_plain_password': None,
         'sasl_kerberos_service_name': 'kafka',
         'sasl_kerberos_domain_name': None,
-        'sasl_oauth_token_provider': None
+        'sasl_oauth_token_provider': None,
+        'keep_warm': 0,
     }
 
     def __init__(self, **configs):
@@ -837,6 +844,11 @@ def _maybe_refresh_metadata(self, wakeup=False):
             log.debug("Sending metadata request %s to node %s", request, node_id)
             future = self.send(node_id, request, wakeup=wakeup)
             future.add_callback(self.cluster.update_metadata)
+            if self.config["keep_warm"] > 1:
+                def keep_connections_warm(cluster):
+                    for broker in cluster.brokers():
+                        self.maybe_connect(broker.nodeId, wakeup=wakeup)
+                self.cluster.add_listener(keep_connections_warm)
             future.add_errback(self.cluster.failed_update)
 
             self._metadata_refresh_in_progress = True
@@ -952,6 +964,10 @@ def _maybe_close_oldest_connection(self):
             log.info('Closing idle connection %s, last active %d ms ago', conn_id, idle_ms)
             self.close(node_id=conn_id)
 
+            if self.config['keep_warm'] > 0:
+                log.info('Reopening idle connection %s', conn_id)
+                self._maybe_connect(node_id=conn_id)
+
     def bootstrap_connected(self):
         """Return True if a bootstrap node is connected"""
         for node_id in self._conns:
diff --git a/kafka/producer/kafka.py b/kafka/producer/kafka.py
index ea010c59a..a5fd19df9 100644
--- a/kafka/producer/kafka.py
+++ b/kafka/producer/kafka.py
@@ -281,6 +281,12 @@ class KafkaProducer(object):
         sasl_oauth_token_provider (AbstractTokenProvider): OAuthBearer token provider
             instance. (See kafka.oauth.abstract). Default: None
         kafka_client (callable): Custom class / callable for creating KafkaClient instances
+        keep_warm (int): The level of extra work to do to keep connections warm.
+            0: Nothing extra. After bootstrapping, no extra connections will be
+                made, and idle connections will be closed.
+            1: Reopen idle connections after closing (after connections_max_idle_ms)
+            2: In addition to (1), after bootstrapping, connect to all leader brokers 
+                immediately rather than waiting for first send.
 
     Note:
         Configuration parameters are described in more detail at
@@ -335,6 +341,7 @@ class KafkaProducer(object):
         'sasl_kerberos_domain_name': None,
         'sasl_oauth_token_provider': None,
         'kafka_client': KafkaClient,
+        'keep_warm': 0,
     }
 
     _COMPRESSORS = {
diff --git a/kafka/version.py b/kafka/version.py
index 06306bd1f..9e97c2a1d 100644
--- a/kafka/version.py
+++ b/kafka/version.py
@@ -1 +1 @@
-__version__ = '2.0.3-dev'
+__version__ = "2.1.0rc0"
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index fe8a594f3..9174ed91e 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -3,10 +3,6 @@
 
 from setuptools import setup, Command, find_packages
 
-# Pull version from source without importing
-# since we can't import something we haven't built yet :)
-exec(open('kafka/version.py').read())
-
 
 class Tox(Command):
 
@@ -33,8 +29,7 @@ def run(cls):
 
 setup(
     name="kafka-python",
-    version=__version__,
-
+    version=os.environ.get("KAFKA_PYTHON_VERSION"),
     tests_require=test_require,
     extras_require={
         "crc32c": ["crc32c"],